an analysis of effective wagon tracking for indian railways using rfid technology

AN ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE WAGON TRACKING

FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS USING RFID

TECHNOLOGY

By

ANKUR RASTOGI

S-9

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF DELHI

NEW DELHI

March 2011

AN ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE WAGON TRACKING

FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS USING RFID

TECHNOLOGY

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree

of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

By

ANKUR RASTOGI S-9

Under supervision of

Dr. M. L. SINGLA

PROFESSOR


UNIVERSITY OF DELHI


UNIVERSITY OF DELHI

NEW DELHI

MARCH 2011

ABSTRACT

AN ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE WAGON TRACKING FOR INDIAN

RAILWAYS USING RFID TECHNOLOGY

Indian Railways (IR) has the largest rail network in Asia and is the world's third largest

under one management. IR transport 20 million passengers, 11,000 trains and more than

2.2 million tons of freight daily. It is the world's fourth largest freight carrier, with more

than 1.6 million employees. IR traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering

10,350 stations over a total route length of more than 1,08,706 kilometers. On account of

its rolling stock, IR owns over 2,50,000 wagons, 50,000 coaches and 8,000 locomotives.

IR has 35% share in the freight traffic. Freight business is the biggest source of income,

70% of the revenues and most of its profits come from the freight sector.

In the present day scenario, the need to accurately track freight wagons has become more

pronounced for the Indian Railways. With better roads infrastructure, trucks cargo

services are competing fiercely with IR for freight traffic. Wagon leasing organizations

want online information about their assets. Customers demand guaranteed transit times.

To increase Railway's share in the freight movement, IR requires adopting new

technologies with a view to satisfy the specific needs and helping the customers reduce

their logistics costs.

Any further increase in physical capacity of the wagons is now difficult to achieve, so

newer and more efficient methods are required to enhance the utilization of the existing

wagon capacity. This again translates into a need for more accurate monitoring of wagon

movement so as to reduce turnaround time.

This project tries to examine the role of RFID technology from the perspective of IR for

improving the effectiveness of existing system to ensure efficiency, safety and provide

better customer satisfaction. Attempt is also made to identify the appropriate RFID tags,

suitable for varied geographic locations and diverse weather conditions across India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_stock

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Project Report titled “An Analysis of Effective

Wagon Tracking for Indian Railways using RFID Technology” submitted in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Business

Administration, is based on the original research work, conducted under the

guidance of Dr. M. L. Singla, Professor, Faculty of Management Studies,

University of Delhi, and no part of this work has been copied from any

source. Any material referred or borrowed has been duly acknowledged.

(Dr. M. L. Singla) (Ankur Rastogi)

Professor

Faculty of Management Studies

University of Delhi

New Delhi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project has been performed by me under the able, inspiring and appreciable

guidance of my revered supervisor and teacher Dr. M. L. Singla, Professor, Faculty of

Management Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi. I am deeply obliged to him for his

valuable advice and suggestions, without which, it would not have been possible for me

to bring this report in the present shape.

I wish to mention my sincere gratitude towards Mr. S. S. Mathur, General Manager,

Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), for being gracious enough to share with

me the official records and technical documents pertaining to this project work.

I would like to acknowledge the unflinching support of Ms. Guljeet Grover, Senior

Additional General Manager, CRIS, for her blessings and encouragement.

I also thank all my seniors and colleagues at CRIS. I would also like to make a special

mention of Mr. Manish Kumar, Chief System Manager, CRIS, for providing invaluable

inputs for completion of this project work; and Mr. Satya P. Panigrahi, Chief System

Manager, CRIS, for his consideration and cooperation in helping me to continue my

studies, along with the official duties and responsibilities assigned to me.

Last but not the least, I thank to the entire distinguished faculty members of Faculty of

Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, who cultivated in me the right spirit of

learning and research. I thank them all for making my experience in FMS even more

enjoyable and worthwhile.

(Ankur Rastogi)

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AAR American Association of Railroads

AIDC Automatic Identification Data Collection

AIM Automatic Identification and Mobility

ANSI American National Standards Institute

ATA Air Transport Association

AVI Automatic Vehicle Identification

CPFR Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment

CRIS Centre for Railway Information Systems

EAN European Article Numbering International

EAN European Article Numbering Association International

EPC Electronic Product Code

FCC Federal Communications Commission

FOIS Freight Operations Information System

GCI Global Commerce Initiative

GDS Global Data Synchronization

HF High Frequency Band

IR Indian Railways

ISO International Standards Organization

IST Information Society Technologies

IT Information Technologies

NFC Near Field Communication

OCR Optical Character Recognition

POP Point of Presence

RDSO Research Designs and Standards Organisation

RF Radio Frequency

RFID Radio Frequency Identification Device

ROI Return on Investments

UCC Uniform Code Council

WILD Wheel Impact Load Detector

An Analysis of Effective Wagon Tracking for Indian Railways using RFID Technology 1

Contents Abstract (i)

Certificate (ii)

Acknowledgement (iii)

List of Abbreviations (iv)

1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 4

2 ABOUT INDIAN RAILWAYS ...................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 Responsibilities and Challenges .................................................................................................... 6

2.2 IT initiatives of Indian Railways ..................................................................................................... 7

2.3 About Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) ................................................................. 7

2.4 Need of RFID in Indian Railways .................................................................................................. 11

2.5 RFID implementation SWOT ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 13

3 ABOUT RFID .......................................................................................................................................... 15

3.1 Automatic Identification ............................................................................................................. 15

3.2 The Basics of RFID ....................................................................................................................... 15

3.3 A brief history of RFID ................................................................................................................. 16

3.4 Tags and Readers ........................................................................................................................ 17

3.4.1 Active Tags ......................................................................................................................... 18

3.4.2 Passive Tags ....................................................................................................................... 18

3.5 RFID and other Identification Technologies ................................................................................ 18

3.5.1 RFID, Smart Cards and Other Form Factors ....................................................................... 18

3.5.2 RFID and Barcodes ............................................................................................................. 18

3.6 RFID Global Standards ................................................................................................................. 21

3.6.1 EPCglobal ........................................................................................................................... 21

3.6.2 Global Data Synchronization ............................................................................................. 21

3.6.3 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ........................................................ 22

3.6.4 AIM Global ......................................................................................................................... 22

3.7 Uses of RFID ................................................................................................................................ 23

4 RFID UPDATE ON INDIAN RAILWAYS .................................................................................................... 26

4.1 Genesis of the Pilot Project ......................................................................................................... 27

4.2 RFID Pilot project ........................................................................................................................ 27


4.3 Challenges faced and progress made ......................................................................................... 33

4.4 Current Status ............................................................................................................................. 33

4.5 Potential Challenges in RFID Implementation ............................................................................ 34

5 OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................. 36

6 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 40

7 RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 42

7.1 Further Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 43

7.2 Limitations ................................................................................................................................... 44

8 ACTION PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................. 46

9 FUTURE EXPANSIONS ............................................................................................................................ 49

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 51

APPENDIX – I ................................................................................................................................................ 53

APPENDIX – II ............................................................................................................................................... 54

APPENDIX – III .............................................................................................................................................. 58

APPENDIX – IV ............................................................................................................................................. 67

ANNEXURE - I ............................................................................................................................................... 69

ANNEXURE – II ............................................................................................................................................. 70


INTRODUCTION


1 INTRODUCTION

The transportation medium used to be the backbone of any country’s economy. Indian Railways

undoubtedly is the backbone of public transport in India. With unprecedented growth in

Information Technology, the world has now moved to an era where information transport has

become the most dominant indicator of a country’s economy.

Since 2008, Indian Railways has embarked to deploy the technology for online automatic vehicle

identification which allows the moving vehicle to be correctly identified and reported to traffic

monitoring IT applications.

This report presents the current status of the RFID pilot project and suggests solutions for

integration in a seamless and effective system, which can be extended further to cater for future

growth.

Key objectives of this study include:

o Examining the role of RFID technology, for improving the effectiveness of existing

system, to ensure efficiency, safety and customer satisfaction

o Identification of appropriate RFID technology, suitable for varied geographic locations

and diverse weather conditions across India

o Providing mechanism for automatic tracking of consignments without human interaction

The methodology adopted for the study is as follows:

o Study of the present state of RFID usage in the Indian Railways and define an objective to

be achieved by deployment of such technology

o Study of the benchmark systems that has to be integrated for the vehicle identification

o Identify the possible solutions to achieve tight and preferably seamless integration

between vehicle identification and the existing system


ABOUT INDIAN RAILWAYS


2 ABOUT INDIAN RAILWAYS

Indian Railways (IR) has the largest rail network in Asia and is the world's third largest under one

management, transporting 20 million passengers, 11,000 trains and more than 2.2 million tons of

freight daily. It is the world's fourth largest freight carrier, with more than 1.6 million employees.

IR traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering 10,350 stations over a total route

length of more than 1, 08,706 kilometers. Regarding about the rolling stock, IR owns over 2,

50,000 wagons, 50,000 coaches and 8,000 locomotives. IR has 35% share in case of freight

traffic. On account of earnings, 70% of the revenues and most of its profits come from the freight

sector.

With ever increasing number of people and goods that use Indian Railways, the cost of

maintenance and expansion of existing infrastructure is burgeoning. Being a medium of mass

transport the railways cannot afford to increase its fare to keep up with its growing expenses.

2.1 Responsibilities and Challenges

In the present day scenario, the need to accurately track freight wagons has become more

pronounced for the Indian Railways. With better roads infrastructure, trucks cargo services are

competing fiercely with IR for freight traffic. Wagon leasing organizations want online

information about their assets. Customers demand guaranteed transit times. To increase Railway's

share in the freight movement, IR requires adopting new technologies with a view to satisfy the

specific needs and helping the customers reduce their logistics costs.

Any further increase in physical capacity of the wagons is now difficult to achieve, so newer and

more efficient methods are required to enhance the utilization of the existing wagon capacity.

This again translates into a need for more accurate monitoring of wagon movement so as to

reduce turnaround time.

There is an urgent need therefore, to look for ways to cut down its expenses, increase its

efficiency, and look for additional measures to provide better customer satisfaction sources of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_stock


revenue, which will ensure that Indian Railways continues to provide a better service to Indian

masses.

2.2 IT initiatives of Indian Railways

Today, Indian Railways is one of the most efficient government-controlled organizations in India.

It houses one of the most brilliant engineers and administrators in the country. This is the reason

it has continued to remain at the center-stage at the India’s economic development.

Until recently (before Information Technology revolution), any country’s economy heavily

depended on how effective the transportation medium of that country was. And, Indian Railways

have continued to serve the Indian masses well, despite increasing burden.

However, looking from the perspective of current state of the technology available in the world,

current modes of operations in Indian Railways can be vastly improved with further

computerization.

2.3 About Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)

In 1986, the Ministry of Railways established the Centre for Railway Information Systems

(CRIS) at New Delhi. CRIS has been set up as an umbrella unit for all IT-related activities in

Indian Railways. It is a project-oriented organization, with the mandate to develop and

implement IT systems, ensure standardization of computer hardware and software, and also

ensure close coordination of IT and business goals.

Important Indian Railways IT projects being handled by CRIS

1) Freight Operation Information System (FOIS)

FOIS has been designed to give strategic advantages to both Indian Railways and its customers.

The system is implemented to perform the following functions:

Monitoring of all freight trains indicating their position in computerized territory and their

expected time of arrival at destination


Commodity wise flow of freight trains for customers like Power Houses, Refineries,

Fertilizers and Cement Plants, Steel Depots and Public Freight Terminals

Enable the recipients of consignments to have an accurate forecast of cargo arrivals giving

them adequate time to complete preparatory arrangement to handle the cargo

Details of rakes/Wagons in various yards, their phase-wise detention in different terminals

thus eliminating the need for costly manual documentation and tedious retrieval systems and

inaccuracies

Managerial reports regarding availability of rolling stock, i.e. wagons and locomotives at any

instant of time to plan for their most efficient utilization

2) Passenger Reservation System (PRS)

A countrywide online passenger reservation and ticketing system, is a complex online distributed

client server application developed in C and Fortran programming languages on Digital

OpenVMS operating system using RTR (Reliable Transaction Router) as middleware.

CONCERT (COuntry-wide Network of Computerised Enhanced Reservation & Ticketing)

interconnects the five regional computing systems at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and

Secunderabad into a National PRS grid. It allows a passenger from any location to book train

tickets from any station to any station. It handles reservations, modifications, and cancellations /

refunds.

3) Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS)

UTS constitutes a major component of the IR’s overall ticketing volume and is an important

source of revenue. UTS delivers fast and efficient unreserved ticketing from dedicated counters

replacing manual Printed Card Tickets/EFTs/BPTs with centralised online sales accounting. The

solution architecture lends itself to easy integration with handheld terminals, smart cards,

automatic vending machines, etc.

4) Web Enabled Claims

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_programming_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortran

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Equipment_Corporation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenVMS

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/abcrisuts.html


The web-based software enables the general public to not only file claim cases through the web

but also track the progress of their claims. All the rules and regulations for claims and accident

case filing along with contact details of all claims offices are available on the website.

5) Rail Budget Compilation System (RBCS)

Developed for budgetary inputs from the different zones and production units of the Indian

Railways, RBCS facilitates capturing of data, building of database, analysis of demands and

pruning of the estimates for inclusion in the Railway Budget.

6) Vigilance Software System (VSS)

VSS is designed especially for the requirements of Vigilance on Indian Railways and has been

implemented in all the Zonal Railway Headquarters. VSS maintains information on vigilance

cases / complaints including various reports and correspondence.

7) Material Management Information System (MMIS)

This package is designed specifically for the requirements of stores accounting for P-Way

materials and scrap disposal.

8) Comprehensive Accounting & Transaction System (CATS)

CATS has been designed with a common database to address functionalities for personnel and

Finance Departments. CATS contain two major modules: Financial Accounting System (FAS)

and Payroll System (PS).

9) Workshop Information SystEm (WISE)


WISE is a MIS project for the various railway workshops around the country. Currently it is in

operation in 15 workshops, viz. Kharagpur, Jagadhari, Ajmer, Kota, Charbagh, Liluah,

Kacharapara, Matunga, Lower Parel, Parel, Bhusawal, Jhansi, Secundrabad, Lallaguda, Jamalpur.

WISE is currently maintained by the group Project-II and provides managerial reports to the

various managements. The project utilizes the ORACLE DBMS.

10) Railway Crew Management (CMS)

CMS is software which provides information regarding railway crew at all times. It provides

information regarding the presence of crew at home station or at out station, maintains their

status-wise records and assigns crew to trains.

It also maintains information regarding the periodic and other rests, Road Learning & Traction

knowledge. It is capable of booking crew on Coaching, Shunting, Freight services in the form of

Links and Rosters.

The software system has tools to support the safety monitoring of the crew by it nominated

Inspectors, monitoring of the crew knowledge through Quiz and has capacities to make the crew

read the latest safety circulars put into the system for reading by the crew.

11) Control Office Application (COA)

COA is software which provides a solution for the rail traffic Controllers of each division to

manage the trains running over the track. This project is running in more than 30 of the 70

Control offices in the Indian Railways. The COA application is interfaced with other applications

such as the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) to provide train running information to the

passengers and other railway managers.

12) E-Procurement system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_crew_management_in_India


It provides a secure, fair and transparent method of procurement of material by the Railways

through a web-based interface. This system is presently in operation in a few units of IR, and is to

be expanded in the near future to all units of IR.

2.4 Need of RFID in Indian Railways

The need to use automated means to track railway wagons was first experienced in the Indian

Railways as early as the 1970s. At that time, it was thought that manual tracking method would

not be suitable in future, due to the increase in freight traffic. This increase in freight traffic was

also the indicator of the beginning of increase of economic activities in India.

Around this time, computerized systems for managing freight railways were at an incipient stage

in railway systems around the world. In 1997, a completely re-written, indigenously developed

version of the Freight Operations System was conceived. It was rolled out between 1999 and

2004. It enabled the tracking of wagon consists, as well as individual freight wagons.

However, there was one serious lacuna in the system: individual wagon identification numbers

were not automatically captured, but were recorded manually. Not only was manual recording

tedious and stressful for the staff, but it introduced errors in the Freight Operations System’s

database, and introduced delays in the tracking process.

This cost could potentially be reduced with the adoption of technology. Further, there are also

cost and time savings in elimination of errors through automated tracking. Moreover, in the

present day scenario, the need to track individual freight wagons accurately has become more

pronounced for the Indian Railways.

Highways have improved, so trucks compete fiercely with rail for freight. Organized logistics

chains have emerged that need real-time shipment-related information; just-in-time inventories

have become common in industry; wagon leasing organizations want online information about

their assets; and most customers demand guaranteed transit times.


Figure 1: Freight transport in India in the year 2007

Source: Mckinsey

Also, the increase in the number of freight wagons is not keeping pace with the growing freight

traffic. In recent years, a combination of newly replaced track and modern wagon designs has

enabled axle loads (and hence the loading capacity of each wagon) to be increased significantly

on major routes of the Indian Railways.

This has helped the Indian Railways to increase its freight loading by about 9% each year. Any

further increase in physical capacity of the wagons is now difficult to achieve, so newer and more

efficient methods are required to enhance the utilization of the existing wagon capacity.

This again translates into a need for more accurate monitoring of wagon movement so as to

reduce turnaround time.

To achieve this, a technology for automatic tracking of individual wagons has become

imperative. While this need appears to be indisputable, the methods to be adopted to accomplish

such tracking are disputed by some important stakeholders within Indian Railways, delaying the

adoption of suitable technology.


Automatic vehicle identification is a vital and basic requirement of any IT application for asset

management and maintenance management. Although a number of technology solutions are

available for meeting this requirement, a survey of the deployment on various railways of the

world indicates that RFID based AVI is widespread due to better read rates, lesser errors and

ability to function in day and night under all weather conditions.

Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), in 2006-07, had explored use of RFID

based vehicle tags. The results of this exploration were published as an article, copy of which is

placed at Annexure III: AVI with RFID A first hand experience.

2.5 RFID implementation SWOT ANALYSIS

WEAKNESS

o RFID is suitable for identifying the

rolling stocks only

o Trust Issue: vulnerable image of

RFID

o Equipment still expensive for mass

scale roll out

o Lack of well established standards

OPPORTUNITY

o Increased efficiency of production,

trade & services

o Customer satisfaction

o Automated monitoring

o Has potential to integrate

seamlessly with WILD project

THREATS

o High initial & transition costs

o Rapid technological evolution may

displace the technology before it is

widely adopted

o If not implemented properly, there

is a risk of missing real benefits

STRENGTH

o RFID provide better read rates

o Has lesser chances of error

o Has ability to function day & night

o Suitable for all weather condition

o RFID tags has longer life


ABOUT RFID


3 ABOUT RFID

RFID stands for Radio Frequency IDentification. Among emerging technologies, RFID is

gaining popularity due to its implementation advantages. It is a generic term for technologies that

use radio waves to automatically identify individual items.

There are different methods to identify objects using RFID technology. The most common is to

store a serial number that identifies an item / product and other information on a microchip that is

attached to an antenna (the chip and the antenna together are called an RFID transponder or RFID

tag).

3.1 Automatic Identification

Automatic identification is a broad term used for a group of technologies that help machines

identify objects and capture data.

Companies want to identify items/products automatically, extract information from them and

process it directly to a computer without having employees manually type out the data.

The aim of using these auto-ID technologies is to increase efficiency, reduce typographical errors

and so free up staff to perform more value added functions.

A number of technologies that fall under the auto-ID umbrella are bar codes, smart cards, optical

character recognition (OCR), radio frequency identification (RFID), among others.

3.2 The Basics of RFID

Automatic identification (auto ID) technologies help machines or computers identify objects by

using automatic data capture. RFID is one type of auto ID technology that uses radio waves to

identify, monitor, and manage individual objects as they move between physical locations.

Although there are a variety of methods for identifying objects with RFID, the most common

method is by storing a serial number that identifies a product and its related information. RFID


devices and software must be supported by an advanced software architecture that enables the

collection and distribution of location-based information in real time.

Figure 2: A schematic diagram of an RFID system

The antenna enables the chip to transmit the identification information to a RFID reader. The

RFID reader converts the radio waves returned from the RFID tag to a form that can then be

passed on to computers, which make use of it.

Standard frequency for RFID devices in India is 865-867 MHz with 4 W erp power. This

standard was approved in May 2005.

3.3 A brief history of RFID

RFID was developed out of the radar experiments and development during the Second World

War. The actual date of invention is 1948, but this was followed by decades of development and

experimentation before commercial applications were implemented.

In July 1963, a passive RFID transponder developed and patented by Richardson, the device

could couple and rectify from an interrogator’s EM field and transmit signals at a harmonic of the

received frequency.


In January 1967, Vinding developed a simple and inexpensive interrogator transponder system

based on inductive coupling, the transponder used repetitive tuning or loading of its antenna

circuit at a rate characteristic of the particular under interrogation. In august 1975, Koelle, Depp

and Freyman introduced the novel concept of transponder antenna load modulation as a simple

and effective way for backscatter modulation.

In the late of 1960’s, the first commercial application of RFID – Electronic Article Surveillance

was developed by companies such as Kongo, sensormatic and check point.

In the 1980s and 1990s, RFID becomes commercial the united states included transportation and

personnel access, while European countries were interested in short range systems for tracking

animals, industrial and business applications.

In October 1987, in Alesund the first RFID based toll-collection system became operational. The

increase in commercial use of RFID prompted a need for standards, which led to many

standardization activities in the 1990’s, the international standards organization (ISO) developed

the (ISO-11785) and the (ISO-14443) standards for animal tracking.

In 1999, the European Article Numbering International (EAN) and the Uniform Code Council

(UCC) of the United States adopted a UHF frequency band for RFID and established the auto-ID

center at the Massachusetts Institute of technology.

3.4 Tags and Readers

An RFID system consists of tags and readers. RFID tags are small devices containing a chip and

an antenna that store the information for object identification. Tags can be applied to containers,

pallets, cases, or individual items. With no line-of-sight requirement, the tag transmits

information to the reader, and the reader converts the incoming radio waves into a form that can

be read by a computer system. An RFID tag can be active (with a battery) or passive (powered by

the signal strength emitted by the reader).


Figure 3: A RFID tag

3.4.1 Active Tags

Can be read from a long-range distance of more than 100 feet.

Are ideal for tracking high-value items over long ranges, such as tracking shipping

containers in transit.

Have high power and battery requirements, so they are heavier and can be costly.

3.4.2 Passive Tags

Can only be read from a short-range distance of approximately 5–10 feet.

Can be applied in high quantities to individual items and reused.

Are smaller, lighter, and less expensive (and therefore more prevalent) than active tags.

3.5 RFID and other Identification Technologies

3.5.1 RFID, Smart Cards and Other Form Factors

RFID technology is currently being used in conjunction with smart card technology in the

financial industry, primarily in Europe. Financial institutions are issuing smart cards to record

personal finance information such as account balances. RFID technology is also being used in

other form factors such as key fobs, bulk metal tags, garment disks, and even metal nails that can

be driven into pallets.

3.5.2 RFID and Barcodes

Although it is often thought that RFID and barcodes are competitive technologies, they are in fact

complementary. The primary element of differentiation between the two is that RFID does not


require line-of-sight technology. Barcodes must be scanned at specific orientations to establish

line-of-sight, such as an item in a grocery store, and RFID tags need only be within range of a

reader to be read or ‘scanned.’

Figure 4: Hype cycle of emerging technologies, 2009

Source: Gartner, 2009

Although RFID and barcode technologies offer similar solutions, there are significant advantages

to using RFID:

Tags can be read rapidly in bulk to provide a nearly simultaneous reading of contents, such as

items in a stockroom or in a container.


Tags are more durable than barcodes and can withstand chemical and heat environments that

would destroy traditional barcode labels. Barcode technology does not work if the label is

damaged.

Tags have read and write capabilities and can be updated. Barcodes contain static information

that cannot be updated unless the user reprints the code.

Tags can potentially contain a greater amount of data compared to barcodes, which

commonly contain only static information such as the manufacturer and product

identification.

Tags do not require any human intervention for data transmission whereas barcodes do.

Figure 5: Innovation Diffusion Model

It is easy to see how RFID has become indispensable for a wide range of automated data

collection and identification applications. With the distinct advantages of RFID technology,

however, comes an inevitably higher cost. RFID and barcode technologies will continue to


coexist in response to diverse market needs. RFID, however, will continue to expand in markets

for which barcode or similar optical technologies are not as efficient.

3.6 RFID Global Standards

As RFID technology continues to expand, the need for establishing global standards is

increasingly apparent. Many retailers have completed RFID trials within their supplier

communities, adding pressure on manufacturers and suppliers to tag products before they are

introduced into the supply chain.

However, manufacturers cannot cost-effectively manage RFID tagging mandates from disparate

retailers until global standards are established. This process requires the creation and acceptance

of data standards that apply to all countries, and it requires scanners to operate at compatible

frequencies.

3.6.1 EPCglobal

EPCglobal is a member-driven organization of leading firms and industries focused on

developing global standards for the electronic product code (EPC) Network to support RFID.

The EPC is attached to the RFID tag, and identifies specific events related to the product as it

travels between locations. By providing global standards on how to attach information to

products, EPC enables organizations to share information more effectively.

The vision of EPCglobal is to facilitate a worldwide, multi-sector industry adoption of these

standards that will achieve increased efficiencies throughout the supply chain—enabling

companies to have real-time visibility of their products from anywhere in the world. The detailed

report is placed at Appendix II: EPC Radio-Frequency Identity Protocols Class-1 Generation-2

UHF RFID.

3.6.2 Global Data Synchronization

Global Data Synchronization (GDS) is an emerging market in Supply Chain Management. It is

the foundation for next-generation applications such as RFID-based tracking, collaborative

planning forecasting and replenishment (CPFR), and more.


GDS is designed to keep supply chain operations synchronized by ensuring that basic product

data, such as the description and category stored by one company, matches the data stored by its

trading partners.

Organizations submit product data in a specific format to data pools around the globe, and the

data is then validated against a global data registry.

Standards for GDS are guided by the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), a collective group of

retailers and manufacturers. The standards are being developed by the European Article

Numbering Association International and The Uniform Code Council (EAN UCC).

These standards assign attributes to product data that enables manufacturers, suppliers, retailers,

and other participants in the supply chain to share product-related data across the globe.

For example, manufacturers could have their product catalog accessible worldwide, and retailers

could search for any type of product and take advantage of unlimited global access.

3.6.3 International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a network of national standards

institutes of 148 countries working in partnership with international organizations, governments,

industries, and business and consumer representatives.

The ISO asserts jurisdiction over the Air Interface (the frequency spectra used for RFID

transmission) through standards-in-development ISO 18000-1 through ISO 18000-7.

These are represented in the United States by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and

the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

3.6.4 AIM Global

AIM Global is the global trade association for the Automatic Identification and Mobility industry

that manages the collection and integration of data for information management systems.

Serving more than 900 members in 43 countries, AIM Global is dedicated to accelerating the use

of automatic identification data collection (AIDC) technologies around the world.

As the leader in developing international RFID standards, AIM Global strives to educate the

community. The company is participating as the RFID Association Sponsor for a series of


symposiums worldwide to build consensus about standards for using RFID technology on

commercial airplanes.

Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus plan to collaborate; both companies are moving

toward RFID adoption based on the Air Transport Association (ATA) automated identification

and data capture guidelines.

3.7 Uses of RFID

Although RFID is a proven technology that has existed since before World War II, it took several

years for a large scale implementation to occur in the United States. The implementation

eventually included freeway toll booths, parking areas, vehicle tracking, factory automation, and

animal tagging.

The most common application of RFID technology today is for tracking goods in the supply

chain, tracking assets, and tracking parts from a manufacturing production line.

Figure 6: RFID tag market forecast


Another common application is for security—RFID is used to control building access and

network security, and also for payment systems that let customers pay for items without using

cash.

As technological advancements in RFID lead to an even higher level of data transmission—in

addition to an inevitably lower cost—RFID technology will become ubiquitous within the supply

chain industry and other industries, increasing overall efficiencies and dramatically improving the

return on investment (ROI).


RFID UPDATE ON INDIAN RAILWAYS


4 RFID UPDATE ON INDIAN RAILWAYS

The concept of automatic identification of wagons using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

was first conceived in the mid-1990s. The basic concept was to encode an RFID tag with the

wagon number and affix it to the side of each wagon.

Trackside readers were to be installed to read the tag from a distance and transmit the encoded

tag information over a network to a central computer. In this way, each moving wagon could be

identified and its movement tracked.

The technology was tried out as early as 1996, when Bharat Electronics Ltd. tested RFID tags for

automatic identification of wagons in the Bangalore area. At that time RFID technology was still

evolving and expensive, and it was difficult to provide network connectivity between the

trackside readers and the computer system. Therefore this attempt was not extended further.

Figure 7: Technology Acceptance Model

In recent years, RFID technology has become widely prevalent and network connectivity has

become inexpensive and widely prevalent. Therefore, the use of RFID technology for wagon

identification and tracking has become feasible.


4.1 Genesis of the Pilot Project

For maintaining records of assets in Railway Board, accurate census of wagons is essential. With

a view to preventing inaccuracies in the master records of wagons, a paper was circulated by C &

IS Directorate in 2003 with the outline of a proposed system for wagon identification and

tracking using RFID technology.

When FOIS Phase 1 was implemented in 2002, it was observed that incorrect recording of wagon

numbers through manual means was a major problem in maintaining correct data in the system.

CRIS therefore proposed a work for identification of wagons using RFID tags in 2005.

Based on the above two requirements, Board directed CRIS to implement a pilot project in 2006.

4.2 RFID Pilot project

A pilot project has been implemented by CRIS in ECoR in the VSKP-Talcher-Paradeep section

on 500 CC BOBR/BOBRN wagons. The equipment was installed and the wagons tagged

between June 2008 and September 2008. Technology from Transcore has been used for the tags,

antennas, and readers.

Figure 8: Schematic diagram of the implementation of Pilot Project

Read-only tags are used. The Wagon Number, Wagon Type, and Owning Railway are encoded

on the tag. These can be decoded by the reader itself. The wagon identifier given above, along

with the reader ID and reader timestamp, is sent to the central server through a wide area network

being used by the FOIS system.


Railway Board had approved the enclosure of the Pilot Project for using RFID technology or

automatic identification of Railways Wagons at an approximate cost of Rs. 2 crores in the

existing work of FOIS.

It was decided to implement the pilot in East Coast Railway, in the Vishakhapatnam- Talcher-

Paradeep section, on 500 BOBRN / BOBR wagons running in closed circuit. For the pilot, 500

wagons were tagged, and trackside readers were placed at 5 locations, along with hand held

readers at major yards and loading / unloading points as part of the pilot. Pilot Project Status

Sheet of RFID is placed as Annexure –I.

The work was awarded to M/s Wipro Ltd (Infotech Division). They have, in turn, obtained the

readers and tags from M/s Transcore, USA. Transcore have authorized M/s Rajkamal Barscan

Ltd to provide installation and maintenance services for their equipment for the pilot project.

Other equipment such as converter (Adam) boxes, Wi-fi equipment, Catamaran middleware and

middleware server, is directly maintained by Wipro.

Figure 9: Pilot project using RFID at ECoR showing tag reader and tag on a wagon

On successful completion of the pilot project, it was planned to expand the system to tag all the

wagons on Indian Railways, and place readers in all the major stations yards, and maintenance

facilities.


Tags

Tags provided are of Transcore make, model XT5120. They are passive UHF tags, that is, they

do not have a battery, and are “beam powered”, or dependent on the tag reader for their power.

Their operating frequency is 865-867 MHz.

Figure 10: Tag

Mounting of tag

The tags are mounted on both sides of the wagons. Mounting plates are welded to the side of the

wagon and the tags are riveted to the plates using two pop rivets. On two rakes, steel rivets have

been used. On other rakes, aluminum rivets have been used. Seen from each end of the wagon,

the tags are located at the nearer left corner as shown below. They are identified as ‘X’ side tags

if they are closer to the ‘X’ (brake rigging) end of the wagon, and ‘Y’ side tags if they are closer

to the ‘Y’ (hopper apparatus) end of the wagon.

Figure 11: Mounting of Tag on a Wagon

Encoding of data on tag

The following data is encoded on the tag:

1) Wagon number

2) Wagon type (coded)


3) Owning Railway

4) Side code

5) “Code 37” encoding is used to fit the data into the 96 bits available on the tag.

Readers

Transcore AI 1200 readers are used along with AR 2200 RF modules. These are provided with

SP 470 antennas, two per reader, on either side of the track. The tag is read by the antenna which

in turn sends the signal via the RF module to the reader. The equipment in the reader box is

powered by an ordinary single phase 220 V power source. Low power is required (about 50 – 100

W). The readers are provided with a UPS, and the whole assembly is placed in a weather-proof

enclosure.

Two Transcore Encompass 1 handheld readers are also provided in order to read the tags in the

yard area. These readers are used to register the wagons in a rake at the time of initial rake set up.

Figure 12: Hand Held Readers

Converter box

The reader connects to the network through an ADAM 6500 series converter. The Adam 6500 is

an Ethernet enabled industrial controller running Windows CE.Net. The Adam controller runs the

Catamaran client.

Figure 13: Adam Box


Last mile network and WAN connectivity

The data flows from the Adam converter to the Motorola Canopy 5700 wireless antenna and is

transmitted wirelessly using Wi-fi (IEEE 802.11b) network standard, to the nearest FOIS point-

of-presence (POP). At the POP, a network switch is provided to connect to the FOIS router and

move the data over the FOIS WAN to the central computer placed in CRIS, Chanakyapuri.

Figure 14: Wireless Antenna

Application server

The data goes to the application server (HP Xeon using Windows 2003 server and SQL Server

2003) that runs the Catamaran middleware software from Shipcomm. This converts the data into

a format readable by FOIS.

Figure 15: Catamaran middleware architecture

FOIS connectivity


The Catamaran server connects to the FOIS system through a software interface that enables the

data to move into the FOIS database.

Figure 16: FOIS and RFID middleware interconnectivity

Tag encoder

Tags are encoded by placing them in the Transcore AP 4118 Tag Programmer and running the

encoding program.

Provision of data connectivity

Connectivity between the readers placed at the three sites, that is, Talcher, Paradeep, and

Vishakhapatnam, was to be provided through point-to-point wireless links. However, the

equipment proved to be difficult to place and install in the field. Therefore, in order to reduce the

delays in the project, cable pairs were provided at all locations from the reader to the nearest

FOIS POP (point-of-presence). The cable pairs were initially used to move data from the readers

to the FOIS network, on which the central server was connected. In December 2008, local


connectivity was switched over to the wireless link at Vishakhapatnam. In September 2009, local

connectivity at Talcher and Paradeep was also shifted to the wireless link exclusively.

4.3 Challenges faced and progress made

The pilot implementation has indicated that the tag and reader are quite rugged and have not been

damaged even after two years of running in harsh environments. While reading of the wagon

identity through the tag and reader sub-system appears to be reliable, problems of connectivity

and power supply have caused interruptions in service.

4.4 Current Status

The Pilot Project for Automatic Identification of Wagons using RFID has been running since

September 2008. Five hundred BOBRN / BOBR wagons have been provided with RFID tags and

are running in the Vishakhapatnam – Talcher – Paradeep coal circuit of ECoR.

Readers have been provided at Vishakhapatnam (Ore Exchange Yard), Talcher (NTPC hut) and

Paradeep (weighbridge).

Figure 17: Schematic diagram of RFID implementation by CRIS


4.5 Potential Challenges in RFID Implementation

The potential challenges to consider when implementing an RFID solution are:

1. Large volumes of data

Readers scan each RFID tag several times per second, which generates a high volume of raw

data. Although the data is redundant and discarded at the reader level, processing large

volumes of data can be difficult.

2. Product information maintenance

When a high volume of RFID tags are processed by the reader, the attributes of each tagged

product must be continually retrieved from a central product catalog database—a process that

results in challenges for large-scale implementations.

3. Configuration and management of readers and devices

When a large number of readers and related hardware devices are deployed across multiple

facilities, configuration and management can be challenging. The implementation of

automated devices for these processes is essential.

4. Data integration across multiple facilities

In an enterprise with multiple facilities that are geographically distributed, it is increasingly

difficult to manage data in real time while at the same time aggregating it into the central IT

facility—a process that can place a significant burden on the network infrastructure.

5. Data ownership and partner data integration

When there are different companies involved in business processes, such as commonly found

in the Retail supply chain, it can create issues pertaining to the ownership and integration of

the data, thereby compromising the integrity of the solution architecture.

6. Data security and privacy

Depending on the nature of the business application and the solution scenario, security and

privacy challenges could have a significant impact on the architecture.


OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS


5 OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS

The observations and learning from the pilot project are:

1) The basic technology adopted (that is, tags and readers to modified AAR specifications)

has been found to be workable in IR conditions

2) Supporting equipment placed at the reader site for the pilot project, that is, data converter

box, UPS, switch, etc. should be made more robust and monitor able from a central site

3) Latency in the data network should be maintained within limits; it is preferable that local

network at site should not be provided through Wi-Fi links

4) Procedures for mounting of the tags on the wagons should be drawn up in detail and a

cross-functional team should be set up to execute the project

After fresh exercises on the system, the following data was received from the reader at the

location.

(i) AVI through RFID for the month of October 2010

(ii) AVI through RFID for the month of November 2010


(iii) AVI through RFID for the month of December 2010

(iv) Automatic Vehicle Identification through RFID for the month of January 2011


(v) Application to monitor the tagged wagon movement


CONCLUSION


6 CONCLUSION

After consulting the technical documents and scrutinizing the available data, it was found that the

basic equipment – tags, readers, antennas, encoders – were robust and provided reliable service.

The key findings emerged from the study of providing the automatic identification system for

wagons using RFID are:

1. It will enable automatic collection of rake composition data into FOIS at the time of rake

formation.

2. It will enable in-motion weighbridges as well as automatic devices for trackside diagnostics

to accurately identify the wagons.

3. It will give an accurate count of wagons present in a particular yard, division, and zone.

4. Annual wagon census will be eliminated.

On the basis of study, Railway Board has sanctioned a work for “Automatic Identification of

Wagons using RFID” at an estimated cost of Rs. 57 crore in 2010-11, for provision of RFID tags

in the coal and ore carrying rakes of three zonal Railways in the Eastern part of the country.


RECOMMENDATIONS


7 RECOMMENDATIONS

There are still some technical concerns that needed to be addressed before full blown

implementation. These are given in the table below:

S.No. Concerns Requirement Observation Recommendations

1. Verification of

accuracy of tag

99.9% read

accuracy should be

maintained.

No misreads or

defective tags

found

It is proposed to read the

tags using the hand-held

readers. The data read by

the handheld reader should

be verified against the data

read by the trackside

readers

2.

Occasional

reading of a tag

by both

antennas of the

reader

Each antenna

should read only

the tags passing on

the track nearest to

it

Antennas are now

tuned, resulting in

reduction of this

phenomenon

No further action is

required as issue is now

resolved

3.

Delay in receipt

of data at the

central server

Data from the

reader should

reach the central

server

instantaneously

after being read at

the reader

Delays in data

reaching the central

server have been

attributed to high

network latency

and network

downtime

Delayed data movement

occurs frequently from

Talcher and Paradeep. The

causes for these frequent

drops need to be studied

further

4.

Clock

synchronization

between central

server and

readers

Clock

synchronization

should be

maintained

between server and

the reader clocks

Clocks are

synchronized

manually at

present.

Synchronization of two

systems clock should be

managed by application

software

The pilot system should also be utilized to carry out certain additional technology trials in order

to determine the most robust design of the RFID system before the roll-out starts. These are

proposed to be as given below:


S.No. Concern Observation Recommendation

1.

Installation of IP

addressable

equipment at

reader sites

Equipment such as UPSs,

switches, etc. installed in the

reader sites are not remotely

addressable

UPSs and switches should be

replaced with IP addressable

equipment so that all of them

can be monitored remotely

2.

Installation of

train presence

indicators

Direction of movement of the

train is not recoded

Proposals from those

vendors should be invited,

who have facility to provide

axle counters / laser beam

devices to detect train

presence and direction

3.

Integration of

RFID system

with

weighbridge and

other trackside

diagnostic

systems

Positive identification of the

wagons being weighed by the

in-motion weighbridges or

going past other trackside

diagnostic equipment is

required.

Proposals for providing a

complete system of trackside

diagnostics and wagon

identification with

correlation between the

wagon identification data

and the diagnostic data

captured should be obtained

7.1 Further Recommendations

In parallel with the activities to be done in the pilot implementation, certain preparatory activities

for the roll-out project can be taken up immediately, so that detailed estimate can be prepared and

further action started.

1. Appropriate location of tag on the wagons and a better method of affixing the tag on the side

of the wagon needed to be ascertained

2. Data to be encoded in the tag should be decided upon and broad encoding scheme should be

worked out

3. Reader locations should be determined. Also care has to be taken to ensure that reader

locations cannot be bypassed because of change in traffic pattern


4. Power from solar panels should be explored to eliminate breakdowns owing to poor power

supply / power cuts

5. IP addressable UPS should be provided in each field location for centralized monitoring

6. Due to fast changes in technology, constant reviewing process is required. Further validations

are required for comparison between the AAR technology (as used in the pilot) and other

technology such as EPC Gen2. This task should be carried out by a technical team comprising

experts from RDSO, CRIS and Railways Board representatives.

7.2 Limitations

This report is based on the work done in the areas of deployment and monitoring of wayside

inspection devices on the Indian Railways by the members of the committee.

Presently there is no integration of WID and AVI systems on Indian Railways. As such the

concept of the integrated working has been developed solely by reading literature available on the

internet and from other sources.

The concept of integration presented in this report is theoretical. It is not based on any tests in

laboratories or trials on the field and as such requires extensive testing for verification and

validation of each component prior to implementation.


ACTION PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION


8 ACTION PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION

A proposal for phase wise implementation should be tried and validated before a full scale

rollout. Since the project needs diverse skills and experience, a task force should be nominated

for implementing the pilot project.

A scheme of this magnitude should be tested and validated for the efficiency and economic

benefits before a railway wide rollout. A possible site is the TATA-NOMD section on

Chakradharpur (CKP) Division of South Eastern Railway.

This site has the following salient features:

The site has one of highest traffic densities on the Indian Railways which can make validation

of data models faster

Closed loop vehicles are available on the section feeding iron ore to Tata Steel plant

The section is geographically small and the total route km is about 127 km

Figure 11: Map of proposed area for pilot project


An action plan for the pilot project is summarized in the following table:

Activity

Id Description Estimated

Duration Predecessor

1. Setting up of task force for implementation of the integrated system

1 month None

2. Expression of Interest for system to be developed, based on AAR standards

3 months 1

3. Setup of infrastructure and trial at CKP division

6 months 2

4.

Development of first working document for standard data format for communication between the Identification device and the system

3 months 2,3

5. Setting up of additional servers 3 months

6. Setting of data centre and 24x7 online contact centre

3 months

7. Creation of Identification mechanism of subcomponents, such as, Loco, wagon, brake van, container

8. Implementation at CKP division in first phase

9. Monitoring of data and validations

Given the scale of technology inputs and the likely changes in the maintenance procedures, it is

suggested to test out the technology on a small and closed but highly functional setup. The

TATA-NOMD section and the associated rolling stock on merry go round system on the

Chakradharpur division of SER are suggested for a pilot rollout. An action plan for the pilot roll

out is proposed listing the following elements.


FUTURE EXPANSIONS


9 FUTURE EXPANSIONS

Through RFID technology we can automatically identify, locate, track, monitor and protect a

variety of things. Resources that can be RFID tagged include:

1. Personnel

2. Assets

3. Vehicles

4. Inventory and also the conditions and the environment around them

RFID can operate around the enterprise in a local area, indoors or out. Through RFID assets can

be automatically protected giving the owner the freedom to come and go from a secured location

with the assets as they please.

Wagons/Coaches/Trailers/Containers and personnel can be automatically identified and

coordinated resulting in dramatic efficiencies in personnel and asset utilization, all of which can

enable increased revenue. This “Hands free” mode provides automatic visibility, improved

productivity and dramatically reduces human intervention.

Active tags can provide the additional security. Tag can be configured to alarm and send an alert

signal, if they are removed. Therefore, active tags provide a very good security solution for

assets, containers, loaded wagon, parcel vans etc.

Tags equipped with the motion sensor onboard can alarm in the event of unauthorized

application, inventory movement etc.

Beaconing tags can provide an automated inventory count. A signal i.e. sent to a receiver at

predetermined time intervals to provide continuous monitoring of the inventory and its location.

Active tags can be integrated with different sensor types to monitor the change of conditions of

such things as temperature, humidity and pressure, as well as hazardous chemicals or radiation.


REFERENCES

Books:

1. Sandip Lahiri, RFID Sourcebook, Prentice Hall, 2005, Pages: 304

2. Himanshu Bhatt, Bill Glover, RFID Essentials, O'Reilly, 2006, Pages: 276

Articles:

1. Integration of Way Side Inspection Devices & Automatic Vehicle Identification Systems

on Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways, 2011, Pages: 108

2. Building India: Transforming the nation’s logistics infrastructure, Infrastructure Practice,

Mckinsey & Company, 2010, Pages: 72

3. Indian Railways Vision 2020, Government of India, Ministry of Railways, December,

2009, Pages: 62

4. Shirish C. Srivastava, Sharat S. Mathur, Thompson S. H. Teoz, Tracking Freight Railcars

in Indian Railways: Technology Options and Stakeholder Interests, International

Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), 2008, Pages: 12

5. RFID Technologies: Emerging Issues, Challenges and Policy Options, Joint Research

Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, European Union, 2007, Pages:

278

Websites:

1. http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/indianrailways/indexhome.jsp

2. http://cris.org.in/wps/portal/CRISPortal

3. http://www.it.indianrail.gov.in/RFID.HTM

4. http://www.enigmaticconsulting.com/

5. http://www.rfidjournal.com

6. http://www.ncsl.org/

7. http://www.rfid-library.com

8. http://autoid.mit.edu/

9. http://www.epcglobalus.org

http://www.rfid-library.com/


APPENDIX – I

Indian Railways is a multi-gauge, multi-traction system covering the following:

Other Interesting facts about Indian Railways:

(Source: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/indianrailways/evolution/evolution.jsp)

Track

Kilometers

Broad Gauge Meter Gauge Narrow Gauge Total

86,526 18,529 3,651 108,706

Route

Kilometers

Electrified

16,001

Total

63,028

Passenger trains in a day 7,000 (approx.)

Freight trains in a day 4,000 (approx.)

Locomotives 7566

Coaching vehicles 37,840

Freight wagons 222,147

Stations 6853

Yards 300

Good sheds 2300

Repair shops 700

Work force 1.54 million


APPENDIX – II

AAR MANUAL OF STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDED PRACTICES

AUTOMATIC EQUIPMENT IDENTIFICATION

Standard: S-918

AAR (American Association of Railroads) specifies standards for automatic electronic

identification of equipments that are used in rail transportation. These equipments include:

1) Railcars

2) Locomotives

3) Intermodal vehicles

4) End of train devices

The system and data outputs described in this standard are compatible with ANSI Standard

MH5.1.9-1990 and ISO Standard 10374, for the automatic identification of containers.

Identification system requirements

Tags mounted on transportation equipment shall be read by an interrogator (reader) that

operate on ultra high frequency radio waves

The reader shall decode the altered radio waves reflected by the tags on the equipment

The altered radio waves (modulation) shall indicate the alphanumeric identification code

of the equipment as well other predefined information

The interrogator may optionally add its own identification number, date and time

System shall accurately read trains moving up to 80 mph with any equipment in areas of

one or more parallel tracks, with or without trains standing or operating on any or all of

these tracks, in the same or opposite direction

The tag unit shall be tamper-proof and their life shall not be less than 15 years without

any maintenance

The tags shall survive and maintain the integrity of stored data in a maximum peak field

strength of 1500 V/m for 60 pulses in the 1.2 to 1.4 GHz range, and 100 V/m for 60

seconds for any continuous wave radio frequency source

The tags shall be capable of full operation in the electromagnetic environment normally

found at railroad facilities

Tags shall be capable of being programmed in the railroad environment

Interrogator (Reader) Requirements

Interrogator units shall be capable of interrogating multiple tags within their reading field,

discriminating between the tags without misreading


Error detection shall be used to ensure reading accuracy

Modulated Backscatter Communication

The tag shall not be a transmitter and shall not contain components to generate radio

frequency (RF) signals

The tags must act merely as field disturbance devices, slightly modifying and reflecting

the signal transmitted by the reader system

This slight modification of the signal includes the unique identification code of the tag.

This method of communication is called “modulated backscatter.”

System Operations

Block Diagram of RF module, reader, antenna and tag

RF Module

The RF module is responsible for transmitting and receiving radio energy

The RF module shall transmit a single frequency of RF energy and receive that same

frequency after it is reflected from the tag

The tag information shall be encoded into 20- and 40-kHz signals

Reader

The RF module receives the modulated signal from the tag and passes the 20- and 40-kHz

modulating frequencies to the reader

The reader shall decode the frequencies into binary information equivalent to the 128 bits

of data stored in the tag


Antenna

The reader system shall be capable of using a single antenna to transmit and receive RF

energy

Tag

The clock circuit sequences all circuit functions such that information stored in the

memory circuit is conveyed to the reader system within precise timing

The information stored in the memory circuit is permanent and is a unique code that is

specified by the owner prior to installation of the tag onto its respective object

Tag Classes

Nonbattery tags must be sufficiently close to the reader system's antenna in order to

collect enough energy to activate the tag's electronics

Battery-powered tags do not require as close proximity to the reader system's antenna

Advantages of the battery tag shall include greater range and reduced RF power required

from the reader system

Advantage of the nonbattery tag is a longer life

Regardless of whether the tag has a battery or not, a tag does not transmit RF energy; it

only reflects energy transmitted by the reader system

Tag Frequency of Operation and Sensitivity

The nonbattery tag shall not operate in root mean square (RMS) electric field strengths

below 2.0 V/m, and shall operate properly in RMS electric field strengths above 3.5 V/m

The field strength required for nonbattery tag operation shall not increase by more than 3

dB when it is rotated by ±25° in any plane

Battery-powered dynamic tags shall have a minimum sensitivity such that an

interrogating signal of 750 mV/m will allow proper tag operation

Other battery and end-of-train device tags shall have a minimum sensitivity such that an

interrogating signal of 150 mV/m will allow proper tag operation

Battery-powered dynamic tags shall be operational within 7 ms of excitation by an

interrogating signal from sensing equipment

All other tags shall be operational within 4 ms of excitation by an interrogating signal

from the sensing equipment

Location and Mounting of Tags on Equipment

No area on the tag’s rear surface may be more than 1/4 in. from the metal mounting

surface

A 1/8 in. or thicker smooth metal back plate at least as large as the tag should be used

In all cases, back plates are preferred and they should extend 1 in. beyond the full

perimeter of the tag


Each railcar and locomotive shall carry two tags. On railcars, one tag shall be located in a

window on the BL (B End–Left) portion and the other shall be located in a window on the

AR (A End–Right)

On locomotives, one shall be located in a window on the Front-Right (F End–Right)

portion and the other in a window on the Rear-Left (R End–Left) portion

Tags must be placed in a vertical plane at least 4 ft from the centerline of the track

The tags must be in a rectangular area bounded by horizontal lines 2 to 5 ft above top of

rail, measured for an empty car

Tags shall be mounted on a plane perpendicular to the ground and shall be oriented with

horizontal polarization

The long axis of the tag must be within 10° of parallel to the rail. The face of the

tag must not be rotated outward toward the ground more than 10° from the car mounting

surface

Inward rotation of the tag is prohibited.

As a minimum, all tags must be manufactured in a facility certified as meeting or exceeding AAR

Quality Assurance Specification M-1003.

REPORT FORMAT

Standard: S-918B

Adopted: 2009

Salient features:

Provides the reasonably compact and accurate method to report inspection data to the data

collection system in a consistent file format

Is extension of S-198A data format

Does not specify any standard communication handshaking or protocol between the

inspecting system and any data collection system

Configuration options

Output formats

1. Fixed lengths, no delimiters (Standard)

2. Fixed field lengths, delimiter (User Selectable)

3. Variable field lengths, delimiters (User Selectable)

Control file

Used for specifying the standard units of measure, looping structure, separators

and delimiters. This is an optional feature.


APPENDIX – III

EPC Radio-Frequency Identity Protocols Class-1 Generation-2 UHF RFID

Protocol for Communications at 860 MHz - 960 MHz, Version 1.2.0

Specification for RFID Air Interface

This specification defines the physical and logical requirements for a passive-backscatter,

Interrogator-talks-first (ITF), radio-frequency identification (RFID) system operating in the 860

MHz - 960 MHz frequency range.

The system comprises Interrogators (also known as Readers) and Tags (also known as Labels).

An Interrogator transmits information to a Tag by modulating an RF signal in the 860 MHz - 960

MHz frequency range.

The Tag receives both information and operating energy from this RF signal. Tags are passive,

meaning that they receive all of their operating energy from the Interrogator's RF waveform.

An Interrogator receives information from a Tag by transmitting a continuous-wave (CW) RF

signal to the Tag; the Tag responds by modulating the reflection coefficient of its antenna,

thereby backscattering an information signal to the Interrogator.

The system is ITF, meaning that a Tag modulates its antenna reflection coefficient with an

information signal only after being directed to do so by an Interrogator.

Interrogators and Tags are not required to talk simultaneously; rather, communications are half-

duplex, meaning that Interrogators talk and Tags listen, or vice versa.

Tags

A Tag shall:

Operate over the frequency range from 860 – 960 MHz

Modulate a backscatter signal only after receiving the requisite command from an

Interrogator

Modulate a backscatter signal unless commanded to do so by an Interrogator using the

signaling layer

Command structure and extensibility

This specification allows four command types:


(1) Mandatory

(2) Optional

(3) Proprietary

(4) Custom

Terms and definitions

The principal terms and definitions used in this specification are described in ISO/IEC 19762.

Additional terms and definitions

Extended temperature range –40 °C to +65 °C (see nominal temperature range).

Full-duplex communications A communications channel that carries data in both directions at once.

Half-duplex communications A communications channel that carries data in one direction at a time rather than in both

directions at once.

Inventoried flag A flag that indicates whether a Tag may respond to an Interrogator. Tags maintain a

separate inventoried flag for each of four sessions; each flag has symmetric A and B

values. Within any given session, Interrogators typically inventory Tags from A to B

followed by a re-inventory of Tags from B back to A (or vice versa).

Inventory round The period initiated by a Query command and terminated by either a subsequent Query

command (which also starts a new inventory round) or a Select command.

Multiple-Interrogator environment An operating environment (defined below) within which a modest number of the available

channels are occupied by active Interrogators (for example, 5 active Interrogators

operating in 25 available channels).

Nominal temperature range –25 °C to +40 °C (see extended temperature range).

Operating environment A region within which an Interrogator’s RF transmissions are attenuated by less than

90dB. In free space, the operating environment is a sphere whose radius is approximately

1000m, with the Interrogator located at the center. In a building or other enclosure, the size

and shape of the operating environment depends on factors such as the material properties

and shape of the building, and may be less than 1000m in certain directions and greater


than 1000m in other directions.

Operating procedure Collectively, the set of functions and commands used by an Interrogator to identify and

modify Tags. (Also known as the Tag-identification layer.)

PacketCRC A 16-bit cyclic-redundancy check (CRC) code that a Tag may dynamically calculate over

its PC, optional XPC, and EPC and backscatter during inventory.

PacketPC Protocol-control information that a Tag with nonzero-valued XI dynamically calculates

and backscatters during inventory.

Passive Tag (or passive Label) A Tag (or Label) whose transceiver is powered by the RF field.

Permalock or Permalocked A memory location whose lock status is unchangeable (i.e. the memory location is

permanently locked or permanently unlocked) except by recommissioning the Tag is said

to be permalocked.

Persistent memory or persistent flag A memory or flag value whose state is maintained during a brief loss of Tag power.

Physical layer The data coding and modulation waveforms used in Interrogator-to-Tag and Tag-to-

Interrogator signaling.

Protocol Collectively, a physical layer and a Tag-identification layer specification.

Q A parameter that an Interrogator uses to regulate the probability of Tag response. An

Interrogator commands Tags in an inventory round to load a Q -bit random (or pseudo-

random) number into their slot counter; the Interrogator may also command Tags to

decrement their slot counter. Tags reply when the value in their slot counter (i.e. their slot

– see below) is zero. Q is an integer in the range (0,15); the corresponding Tag response

probabilities range from 20 = 1 to 2

-15 = 0.000031.

Random-slotted collision arbitration A collision-arbitration algorithm where Tags load a random (or pseudo-random) number

into a slot counter, decrement this slot counter based on Interrogator commands, and reply

to the Interrogator when their slot counter reaches zero.

Recommissioning


A significant altering of a Tag’s functionality and/or memory contents, as commanded by

an Interrogator, typically in response to a change in the Tag’s usage model or purpose.

Session An inventory process comprising an Interrogator and an associated Tag population. An

Interrogator chooses one of four sessions and inventories Tags within that session. The

Interrogator and associated Tag population operate in one and only one session for the

duration of an inventory round. For each session, Tags maintain a corresponding

inventoried flag. Sessions allow Tags to keep track of their inventoried status separately

for each of four possible time-interleaved inventory processes, using an independent

inventoried flag for each process.

Single-Interrogator environment An operating environment within which there is a single active Interrogator at any given

time.

Singulation Identifying an individual Tag in a multiple-Tag environment.

Slot Slot corresponds to the point in an inventory round at which a Tag may respond. Slot is the

value output by a Tag’s slot counter; Tags reply when their slot (i.e. the value in their slot

counter) is zero.

StoredCRC A 16-bit cyclic-redundancy check (CRC) code that a Tag calculates over its StoredPC and

EPC and stores in EPC memory at power-up, and may backscatter during inventory.

StoredPC Protocol-control information stored in EPC memory that a Tag with zero-valued XI

backscatters during inventory.

Tag-identification layer Collectively, the set of functions and commands used by an Interrogator to identify and

modify Tags (also known as the operating procedure ).

Tari Reference time interval for a data-0 in Interrogator-to-Tag signaling. The mnemonic

“Tari” derives from the ISO/IEC 18000-6 (part A) specification, in which Tari is an

abbreviation for Type A Reference Interval.

Protocol requirements

An Interrogator sends information to one or more Tags by modulating an RF carrier using double-

sideband amplitude shift keying (DSB-ASK), single-sideband amplitude shift keying (SSB-ASK),

or phase-reversal amplitude shift keying (PR-ASK) using a pulse-interval encoding (PIE) format.


Tags receive their operating energy from this same modulated RF carrier.

An Interrogator receives information from a Tag by transmitting an unmodulated RF carrier and

listening for a backscattered reply. Tags communicate information by backscatter modulating the

amplitude and/or phase of the RF carrier. The encoding format, selected in response to

Interrogator commands, is either FM0 or Miller- modulated subcarrier. The communications link

between Interrogators and Tags is half-duplex, meaning that Tags shall not be required to

demodulate Interrogator commands while backscattering. A Tag shall not respond to a mandatory

or optional command using full-duplex communications.

An Interrogator manages Tag populations using three basic operations:

a) Select

The operation of choosing a Tag population for inventory and access. A Select command may

be applied successively to select a particular Tag population based on user-specified criteria.

This operation is analogous to selecting records from a database.

b) Inventory

The operation of identifying Tags. An Interrogator begins an inventory round by transmitting a

Query command in one of four sessions. One or more Tags may reply. The Interrogator

detects a single Tag reply and requests the PC/XPC word(s), EPC, and CRC from the Tag.

Inventory comprises multiple commands. An inventory round operates in one and only one

session at a time.

c) Access

The operation of communicating with (reading from and/or writing to) a Tag. An individual

Tag must be uniquely identified prior to access. Access comprises multiple commands, some

of which employ one-time-pad based cover-coding of the R=>T link.

Description of operating procedure

The operating procedure defines the physical and logical requirements for an Interrogator-talks-

first (ITF), random-slotted collision arbitration, RFID system operating in the 860 MHz – 960

MHz frequency range.

Signaling

The signaling interface between an Interrogator and a Tag may be viewed as the physical layer in

a layered network communication system. The signaling interface defines frequencies,

modulation, data coding, RF envelope, data rates, and other parameters required for RF

communications.

Operational frequencies


Tags shall receive power from and communicate with Interrogators within the frequency range

from 860 MHz to 960 MHz, inclusive. An Interrogator’s choice of operational frequency will be

determined by local radio regulations and by the local radio-frequency environment. Interrogators

certified for operation in dense-Interrogator environments shall support, but are not required to

always use.

.

Interrogator-to-Tag (R=>T) communications

An Interrogator communicates with one or more Tags by modulating an RF carrier using DSB-

ASK, SSB-ASK, or PR-ASK with PIE encoding. Interrogators shall use a fixed modulation

format and data rate for the duration of an inventory round. The Interrogator sets the data rate by

means of the preamble that initiates the round.

Interrogator frequency accuracy

Interrogators certified for operation in single- or multiple-Interrogator environments shall have a

frequency accuracy that meets local regulations. Interrogators certified for operation in dense-

Interrogator environments shall have a frequency accuracy of +/– 10 ppm over the nominal

temperature range (–25°C to +40°C) and +/– 20 ppm over the extended temperature range (–40°C

to +65°C). Interrogators rated by the manufacturer to have a temperature range wider than

nominal but different from extended shall have a frequency accuracy of +/– 10 ppm over the

nominal temperature range and +/– 20 ppm to the extent of their rated range. If local regulations

specify tighter frequency accuracy then the Interrogator shall meet the local regulations.

Modulation

Interrogators shall communicate using DSB-ASK, SSB-ASK, or PR-ASK modulation. Tags shall

demodulate all three modulation types.

Tag states and slot counter

Ready state

Tags shall implement a ready state. Ready can be viewed as a “holding state” for energized Tags

that are neither killed nor currently participating in an inventory round. Upon entering an

energizing RF field a Tag that is not killed shall enter ready. The Tag shall remain in ready until

it receives a Query command whose inventoried parameter (for the session specified in the Query)

and sel parameter match its current flag values. Matching Tags shall draw a Q -bit number from

their RNG, load this number into their slot counter, and transition to the arbitrate state if the

number is nonzero, or to the reply state if the number is zero. If a Tag in any state except killed

loses power it shall return to ready upon regaining power.

Arbitrate state

Tags shall implement an arbitrate state. Arbitrate can be viewed as a “holding state” for Tags


that are participating in the current inventory round but whose slot counters hold nonzero values.

A Tag in arbitrate shall decrement its slot counter every time it receives a QueryRep command

whose session parameter matches the session for the inventory round currently in progress, and it

shall transition to the reply state and backscatter an RN16 when its slot counter reaches 0000h.

Tags that return to arbitrate (for example, from the reply state) with a slot value of 0000 shall

decrement their slot counter from 0000 h to 7FFF h at the next QueryRep (with matching session)

and, because their slot value is now nonzero, shall remain in arbitrate.

Reply state

Tags shall implement a reply state. Upon entering reply a Tag shall backscatter an RN16. If the

Tag receives a valid acknowledgement (ACK) it shall transition to the acknowledged state,

backscattering the reply. If the Tag fails to receive an ACK within time T2 (max), or receives an

invalid ACK or an ACK with an erroneous RN16, it shall return to arbitrate. Tag and Interrogator

shall meet all timing requirements.

Acknowledged state

Tags shall implement an acknowledged state. A Tag in acknowledged may transition to any state

except killed, depending on the received command. If a Tag in the acknowledged state receives a

valid ACK containing the correct RN16 it shall re-backscatter the reply. If a Tag in the

acknowledged state fails to receive a valid command within time T2 (max) it shall return to

arbitrate. Tag and Interrogator shall meet all timing requirements.

Open state

Tags shall implement an open state. A Tag in the acknowledged state whose access password is

nonzero shall transition to open upon receiving a Req_RN command, backscattering a new RN16

(denoted handle) that the Interrogator shall use in subsequent commands and the Tag shall use in

subsequent replies. Tags in the open state can execute all access commands except Lock and

BlockPermalock. A Tag in open may transition to any state except acknowledged, depending on

the received command. If a Tag in the open state receives a valid ACK containing the correct

handle it shall re-backscatter the reply. Tag and Interrogator shall meet all timing requirements

except T2 (max); in the open state the maximum delay between Tag response and Interrogator

transmission is unrestricted.

Secured state

Tags shall implement a secured state. A Tag in the acknowledged state whose access password is

zero shall transition to secured upon receiving a Req_RN command, backscattering a new RN16

(denoted handle) that the Interrogator shall use in subsequent commands and the Tag shall use in

subsequent replies. A Tag in the open state whose access password is nonzero shall transition to

secure upon receiving a valid Access command sequence, maintaining the same handle that it

previously backscattered when it transitioned from the acknowledged state to the open state. Tags

in the secured state can execute all access commands. A Tag in secured may transition to any

state except open or acknowledged, depending on the received command. If a Tag in the secured


state receives a validACK containing the correct handle it shall re-backscatter the reply. Tag and

Interrogator shall meet all timing requirements except T2 (max); in the secured state the maximum

delay between Tag response and Interrogator transmission is unrestricted.

Killed state

Tags shall implement a killed state. A Tag in either the open or secured states shall enter the

killed state upon receiving a valid Kill command sequence with a valid nonzero kill password,

zero-valued Recom bits, and valid handle. If a Tag does not implement recommissioning then it

treats nonzero Recom bits as though Recom = 0. Kill permanently disables a Tag. Upon entering

the killed state a Tag shall notify the Interrogator that the kill operation was successful, and shall

not respond to an Interrogator thereafter. Killed Tags shall remain in the killed state under all

circumstances, and shall immediately enter killed upon subsequent power-ups. Killing a Tag is

irreversible.

Slot counter

Tags shall implement a 15-bit slot counter. Upon receiving a Query or QueryAdjust command a

Tag shall preload into its slot counter a value between 0 and 2 Q

–1, drawn from the Tag’s RNG. Q

is an integer in the range (0, 15). A Query specifies Q; a QueryAdjust may modify Q from the

prior Query.

Tags in the arbitrate state decrement their slot counter every time they receive a QueryRep with

matching session, transitioning to the reply state and backscattering an RN16 when their slot

counter reaches 0000h. Tags whose slot counter reached 0000h, who replied, and who were not

acknowledged (including Tags that responded to an original Query and were not acknowledged)

shall return to arbitrate with a slot value of 0000h and shall decrement this slot value from 0000h

to 7FFFh at the next QueryRep. The slot counter shall be capable of continuous counting; meaning

that, after the slot counter rolls over to 7FFFh it begins counting down again, thereby effectively

preventing subsequent replies until the Tag loads a new random value into its slot counter.

Managing Tag populations

Interrogators manage Tag populations using the three basic operations. Each of these operations

comprises one or more commands. The operations are defined as follows:

a) Select:

The process by which an Interrogator selects a Tag population for inventory and access.

Interrogators may use one or more Select commands to select a particular Tag population prior

to inventory.

b) Inventory:

The process by which an Interrogator identifies Tags. An Interrogator begins an inventory

round by transmitting a Query command in one of four sessions. One or more Tags may reply.


The Interrogator detects a single Tag reply and requests the PC word, optional XPC word or

words, EPC, and CRC-16 from the Tag. An inventory round operates in one and only one

session at a time.

c) Access:

The process by which an Interrogator transacts with (reads from or writes to) individual Tags.

An individual Tag must be uniquely identified prior to access. Access comprises multiple

commands, some of which employ one-time-pad based cover-coding of the R=>T link.


APPENDIX – IV

RFID terminology

Antenna: This is the conductive element that enables the tag to send and receive data.

Back scatter: This is a method of communicating between tags and readers. Tags reflect back a

portion of the radio waves that are received from the readers.

Bar code: This is a standard method of identifying the manufacturer and product category of a

particular item. Bar code scanners have to have line of sight to be able to read them.

Closed loop systems: This refers to RFID tracking systems within a company. Open standards

can be by-passed in these RFID tags as they are supposed to be within the company’s territory.

Die: RFID microchips use the silicon block on which circuits have been etched. These silicon

blocks are called die.

Error correcting protocol: This protocol refers to the set of rules by which two items interact and

understand each other.

GTAG: This is a standardisation initiative of the UCC and the EAN for asset tracking and

logistics based on radio frequency identification.

Modulation: This refers to changing the frequency or amplitude of a wave to transmit data that is

converted into digital form.

Nano Block: This term, coined by Alien Technology, is used to describe the tiny microchips,

which are about the width of three human hairs.

Physical Markup Language (PML): This is a language for describing products in a way that a

computer can understand.

RFID reader: The reader communicates with the RFID tag via radio waves and passes the

information in digital form to a computer system for processing thereby by-passing human

intervention.

RFID tag: This is a microchip attached to an antenna for picking up signals and sending signals

back to the RFID reader. It contains a globally unique serial number known as EPC (Electronic

Product Code).

Silent Commerce: This covers all business solutions enabled by tagging, tracking, sensing and

other technologies, including RFID, which make everyday objects intelligent and interactive. It

can be combined with continuous and pervasive Internet connectivity, so making a new

infrastructure where companies can collect data and deliver services without human interaction.


ANNEXURE - I

PILOT PROJECT STATUS SHEET OF RFID

STATUS AS ON 01.01.09

NAME OF PROJECT - RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION

DEVICE

1 a. Sanction Year of Project 2004- 05

2 b. Initial Sanctioned Amount Rs. 2 Crore

3 Nodal officer in CRIS

coordinating the project GM/IT

4 Nodal officer in FOIS

coordinating the project CPM/FOIS & DY.CPM/FOIS/G

5 Objectives/Features

Provide tools to Manages to:

1.Accurate & automatic identification of wagon

/coaches.

2. Keeping track of wagons & rakes and capture of

online information of wagon no.

3. Optimising turn round time for loading & un-

loading.

6 Scope of work -Location

1000 RFID tags in 500 wagons

Three pilot locations at Talcher, Paradeep &

Vishakapattnam East Coast Railway (ECOR)

7 Software development agency CRIS

8 Current Status of the project 500 wagons are having 1000 RFID tags

9 Next milestone to be achieved

with target date.

Staff Training will be started from 3rd

week of

Nov.08


ANNEXURE – II

Tag encoding scheme used for tagging IR wagons

Field Entry Bits Required Data bit position in Reader String

From To

1. Equipment

Code 5 1 5

2. Tag Type 2 6 7

3. Railway Code 5 8 12

4. Wagon Number 58 13 67

91 93

5. Side Indicator 1 68 68

an analysis of effective wagon tracking for indian railways using rfid technology

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