The main advantages of railway over other types of land transport are its high efficiency in the mass flow of goods and passengers, a high level of safety, security,reliability and automation. All this, along with numerous environmental advantagesover other modes of transport, declares it as the most important transport system forpublic passenger transport (especially in densely populated regions and large cities).
IoT architecture implemented in railway system
IoT is defined as a global information infrastructure that enables advanced services byconnecting (physical and virtual) things, based on already developed, interoperableinformation and communication technologies. IoT emerged as a concept in 2008-2009when the number of connected devices on Internet – surpassed the number of theworld’s total population.
The IoT architecture when implemented in railway consists of five layers:
(1) A layer that deals with the collection of information based on sensors;
(2) The business management layer, which deals with the organization of railtransport, resource management, passenger and goods transport, but also dataanalysis and decision making;
(3) IoT application layer;
(4) A decision-support layer, and
(5) An application layer for industrial services.
It can be realized that solutions based on the IoT concept in railway transport have thefollowing functionalities (usually several at the same time):
- Monitoring and management of selected parts of the railway system (roadcrossings, passenger stations, freight and shunting stations);
- Management of passenger and goods flows, integration of information related topassengers and goods;
- Monitoring and diagnostics of infrastructure and vehicles and managing theirmaintenance;
- Support for planning at the strategic, tactical and operational levels;
- Raising the level of traffic safety;
- Increasing the level of safety of passengers and goods;
- Booking and purchasing tickets, tracking the movement of trains / goods byinterested users using standard and mobile web applications;
- Modern marketing of passenger and freight traffic.
The Benefits of IoT in passenger railway system
Here we will expose the main benefits of introducing IoT in passenger railway:
Improved Passenger Experience – IoT cameras can monitor the number of incoming passengers and if a crowd is noticed – the authorities can open a new corridor, orplatform exit, or ticket gate. Also – IoT systems can enhance the bathroom cleaning – by triggering a call for a cleaner to clean the stain, or to refill soap and paper in thetoilets.
Less maintenance delays – downtime due to the necessary repairs should be reducedto minimum. Smart IoT sensors can remotely check the train engine, coach conditions,and track gauges, so the repairing can happen in advance (so called preventivemaintenance).
Improved safety and reliability – IoT systems can also perform real-time monitoring ofthe train breaks and trigger an alert in case of malfunction. Also IoT – can test thecondition of rail tracks constantly. IoT sensors placed on track gauges, can sense thetrack stress and conditions, temperatures, and other variables that are important formaintenance teams.
Monitoring of air quality, as well as temperature – the air quality inside the coachesis of a crucial importance for passenger comfort and safety. In some situations – someharmful PM2.5 gas particles can be present and they can cause breathing difficulties.IoT sensors should detect such air pollution and should trigger an alert. Also –maintaining comfortable temperature is important - so the IoT system can monitorand regulate the air conditioning in the coaches.
Flawless operation and analytics – by passenger analytics – the railway can improveits services. It can offer e-ticketing, schedule information, and other options topassengers - via smartphones and email. Thus, loyal passengers can get discounts, orcoupons. Some lines will be marketed properly, and the overall experience will behugely positive, both for the passengers and the railway authorities.
