Railways fast-tracks into analytics, big data space

Various functions of the railways such as passenger reservation, movement of goods trains and asset management will be brought within the ambit of the software. Named as ‘One ICT’, the sophisticated software would cost about Rs 5,000 crore over the next five years and will cover the entire gamut of functional requirements of the railways, said a railway ministry official. 

The software will use digital technology for better connectivity of goods and services with the market and efficient internal management, leading to higher customer satisfaction, he added. 

“Numerous stand-alone software has been developed by the railways for various purposes. For the first time, we are moving towards an integrated software which will be like a single-window system,” said the official who is involved in the project. 

To develop the software, the railways will organise a day-long conference, involving leading software companies, here tomorrow to draw the roadmap. It is likely to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop it. The conference would be inaugurated by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. ‘One ICT’ will cover all the aspects, including cost analysis, attendance, accounting, asset management, medical management and land management, of the railways. 

Better capacity and asset utilisation would help railways run more trains, carry more freight, provide better and reliable services to passengers, increase revenues and make operations safer. This will be ensured by the ‘IR-OneICT’ platform with the help of best-in-class technology and world class business analytics, advanced software solutions available and automated data collection from a single source with real-time availability, said the official. Railway has scaled up its IT expenditure from Rs 336 cr in 2016-17 to Rs 513 cr in the 2017-18 fiscal.