CSX Track Chart and Engineering Information System

Transcription

1 Roy Anderson (CSX Transportation), David Maas (CSX Transportation), Brian Mack (Optram, Inc.), Ted Selig (Optram, Inc.) September 10, 2000 ABSTRACT Railroads have made a considerable investment in information technology. Recent technological advances have increased the value of this information by simplifying its storage, modification, access and distribution. With this new technology people throughout the company have controlled and timely access to information that influences the reliability and economy of their railroad. This paper describes the process being used by CSX to consolidate data from legacy systems into a new database using current technology. It also describes how the transition provided the opportunity to create a unified information repository for the many departments that make up CSX. In addition, CSX required that the existing system remain operational during the project. This project has been divided into a number of steps in order to minimize the impact of the new system. The first step was to move a data snapshot from the legacy track chart system to electronic track chart and information system. The next step allows the current CSX data systems to provide continuous data updates to this new system. This track chart

2 system and the accompanying relational database become the informational skeleton for tying together additional organization information. BACKGROUND Railroads look to technology to assist in managing maintenance operation challenges that they face. Railroads with nation-wide operations are implementing systems and long-term strategies to optimize capital allocation, track maintenance operations and manage assets. With the recent consolidation(s) within the industry, the need to have multiple information systems inter-operate has become paramount. Historically, track charts have been maintained by draftsman, using mainframe computers or with Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) tools. These are distributed to railroad personnel in the form of hardcopy printouts. These track chart schematics have been used to maintain asset location information as well as used to locate areas for maintenance work. With the advent of relational database, high-speed desktop computers and the Internet, technology has been developed to enable track charts to be accessed electronically. Current technology enables the correlation of track geometry measurement, production and work records, and existing system information with the asset information normally collected for hardcopy track charts. At CSX a team of draftsmen originally produced track charts, but as their numbers decreased over the years, it became increasingly difficult to keep the charts current. With the virtual disappearance of the draftsmen, changes were then made by simply using white-out

3 and penciling in the correct data. This method was very awkward and still required a considerable amount of manual labor. The former Chessie System attempted to overcome this problem by putting their track charts into the CADD system. Though this facilitated the maintenance of track charts, much manual effort was still required and the ever-decreasing engineering staff was unable to keep up with the enormous volume of constantly changing data necessary to produce accurate track charts. (1) Amtrak s Northeast Corridor (NEC) engineering department has a system to support railway infrastructure maintenance management on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) high speed mainline. An overview of the approach used at Amtrak to make the system operational and philosophies behind the system are presented in a paper titled Implementing a Railway Infrastructure Maintenance System. (2). The Amtrak system, called AMM (Applied Maintenance Management), uses software developed by Optram. The Optram software system, called ORIM (Optram Railway Infrastructure Management), is also being used to develop the CSX system.

4 THE PROBLEM HOW TO TARGET MAINTENANCE DECISIONS Railroads can spend up to $35,000 for each track mile per year for infrastructure maintenance. In addition, track maintenance reduces track occupancy causing an additional loss of 5-15% of potential annual revenue. A University of Massachusetts study evaluated the cost of maintaining Conrail's track. The authors compared work and track condition history to evaluate the allocation of maintenance resources over the test section. The report concluded that without additional capital investment a 10% annual savings in maintenance expense could be saved by targeting maintenance operations and resources to go only where and when they are needed. Additionally the report concluded that by identifying the causes of problems in areas of repeated repairs and applying cost reducing long-term solutions to them the resulting optimized maintenance plan is expected to reduce the cost by 24% (3). Maintenance officials making right-of-way (ROW) decisions cannot realize these savings without adequate information. Current processes and systems collect and correlate the appropriate data but this work is tedious and time consuming and many times just not done. To optimize track maintenance management the people making maintenance decisions must correlate maintenance-related information from diverse sources. This information includes the history, location and type of characteristics such as traffic, condition, and work. Currently this information exists but is not readily accessed or easily correlated. Having readily available information about the track is required to achieve maintenance optimization savings.

5 CSX CURRENT SYSTEM The current CSX track chart system went active in 1987 and is a mainframe based information system with data stored in a non-relational database (1). Users have two options for viewing track charts: Graphic files can be 1) printed and mailed or 2) viewed on monitors located in the Jacksonville computer room. In addition to generating track charts several other support systems use the information in this system. For example, dispatchers get milepost and footage, 800-phone numbers, and DOT numbers for emergency incidents at road crossings. The current CSX mainframe computer allows remote users to edit (via the corporate network) all track chart information except track layout and grade data. The track chart manager in Jacksonville incorporates track layout and grade changes by hand-editing the track layout and grade data files. The track chart manager generates track charts on the Jacksonville mainframe computer as frequently as weekly and at the very least, annually. The process requires specialized knowledge to edit the track data file syntax and can take up to a week to provide a revised track chart. Track charts are then printed, copied and mailed to Corporate, Divisional, and District offices. In addition to the mainframe system, CSX has in place several information systems each of which are used by different organizations. They support real estate management, track management, locomotive and rolling stock management, track geometry data analysis and financial need. Information is shared between these systems on an informal basis.

6 PROJECT GOALS The goals of the project were to Provide company-wide electronic access to corridor information Build a system to support multiple disciplines Integrate existing information systems and build a central and foundation information source Company-Wide Access Achieving the project goal of system-wide electronic access to corridor information provides: Simple and rapid availability the need to sift through hardcopy records from a central location is eliminated Streamlined distribution one person s data entry is available to the entire railroad organization and users don t need to know which person has the information they seek. Timely availability to information railroad employees see the latest and most relevant information. Universal access and consistent information all railroad employees have access and look at the same information at the same time. Limited burden Eases the burden of railroad personnel from field crews to railroad executives who no longer need to spend time maintaining maintenance records. This goal is achieved by Storage of all data in a central database Simple tools for data input and maintenance Automated information systems Graphical internet/intranet distribution of information

7 Support of Multiple Disciplines A railroad is run by a large organization of many people, each with different roles, skills and experience. And each has an influence in the service level provided by the railroad. A system that supports the broadest coverage of the organization will have the biggest influence on the service level. To provide broad support the system must be intuitive and simple to use. While printed track charts provide a wealth of information they are limited by the static nature of paper. Electronic track charts can provide a depth to corridor information. This goal is achieved by providing a system with a graphical interface. The interface provides A clear and simple track chart presentation Representation of large amounts of information Hyper-link access to additional detailed information Connection to other system applications Integrate Existing Information Systems Corridor reliability, throughput and cost are influenced by traffic, asset characteristics (location, condition, age, type), and work (location and cost). CSX has built and maintains valuable databases that include data on these influences from sources such as A 5 year high-rail survey of the track network Conrail track chart databases Time tables

8 Information from all of these sources must be available to make corridor decisions. Portions of this information can be located in various corporate computers systems. The system must have the ability to interface to these other systems. OVERVIEW AND PHASED PROJECT PLAN The existing CSX Track Chart and Engineering Information System project provides CSX with an electronic track chart system coupled with an Oracle database designed to store information associated with assets along the ROW. It has live data links from the existing mainframe systems to provide backwards compatibility until these mainframe systems can be retired when it becomes advantageous to do so. The CSX program manager stated early that this system must be the skeleton system by which I can build on. This system must be more then just electronic track charts. A phased approach was chosen to allow existing systems and processes to be transferred to the new system when it became practical. Organizational acceptance to the new technology could be brought in over time. The project team includes staff from both CSX and Optram. Optram has customized its ORIM product to work within the existing CSX maintenance management system. Optram will support CSX in these activities. The project itself can be divided into 3 major phases: 1) Develop track chart system 2) Develop system-wide access 3) Integrate with other systems

9 The first deployment of the track chart system provides the foundation for building a corporate wide information system. Track chart data for the entire CSX railroad will reside on an Oracle database. Existing mainframe ROW asset data as well as rail, surfacing and timbering constitute the first set of data to be deployed. A live link has been established from the mainframe to allow existing systems to use this information. CSX Users access the system through the Internet without the burden of having to install, upgrade, and manage the application programs on desktops and to minimize the client computer specifications. The first major components that will be integrated into this system include: 1) Track Geometry Measurement Data - The incorporation of measurement and defect data drawn graphically along the ROW will enable CSX to readily locate trouble spots and find trends in track measurement data using work performed at the same locations. 2) Track Management Program CSX manages track maintenance using a system called Track Management Program (TMP). TMP uses rail and track measurements and tonnage to evaluate current condition, rate of condition deterioration, and prioritize work. This information, along with slow orders, gage restraint measurements and other influences are used to create an index rating system. The system rates the current condition in a condition index (CI), the rate of condition deterioration in a maintenance index (MI), and a

10 weighted index (WI) to rank the priority of planned work. TMP divides the track network into sections with homogeneous features. TMP calculates a CI, MI, and WI index for each track segment. 3) Geographical Database (GIS) The track system will have geographical information incorporated into the data. CSX has several systems that use geographical data. These systems will be integrated into this track chart system. The first major system will be to allow interoperability between the track chart system and the CSX real estate property management system. Figure 1 shows the relationships of these systems. Mainframe Engineering DB Host Electronic Track Charts Track Measurements ORIM Database System-Wide Access TMP Corridor Survey RPI GIS Database GIS Figure 1 System Overview

11 System Foundation The system is built upon a database that models the real-world representation of a corridor (see Figure 2). The database maintains the linear (milepost + offset) and threedimensional (x, y, z or Latitude, Longitude, Elevation) location of all information stored with resolution under a centimeter. The track is represented as a logical track network Switches are nodes between individual track segments. Tracks are a grouping of track segments. Wayside assets are represented as features that can have a location in the form of a single point, a series of points (polyline) or an area (a polygon). Assets have logical relationship to one another and to the track network. Because the database design is based on the real-world representation, it is decoupled from the systems using it and thus: less susceptible to business logic changes, easily enhanced to support additional data types while limiting impact to existing users, and expandable to support additional information systems (e.g., vehicle tracking, positive train control, real estate management). Signal Bridge Track Yard-A 1 xover 2 Segment Switch (Node) Milepost Figure 2 - Real-world Database Foundation

12 Hyper-Graphical Linkage Railroad use track charts as a fundamental tool for managing corridor assets. A track chart typically provides a schematic of the track layout, geometry attributes (curves, tangents, grades) and the latest production work with dates and work type. The CSX track charts include horizontal alignment, track layout, grade, signal control type, posted speed, last rail, tie, and surface work. An example is shown in Figure 3. These charts however are limited in the amount of information that can be accessed at one time. Figure 3 - Sample Traditional Paper Track Chart The ability to use graphics to hyper-link to additional information or other applications provides an additional level of information access not available to typical track chart users. Hyper-Graphical linkage coupled with use of modern Internet browser now enables users to have instant access to information that is recent and accurate.

13 Figure 4 shows the new ORIM Track Chart available to users at their desktop through an Internet connection. Figure 5 shows an example of the system s hyper-graphic connection to detailed asset information. Users can click on any asset or symbol in the viewer to see details about the item (see Figure 6). The form detailed can be customized to show any detailed information related to the selected item. The detailed information may come from systems connected to the ORIM system. Figure 4 Sample Internet Access Track Chart Figure 5 Example of Detailed Asset Information Access

14 Figure 6 - Asset Details Conclusion and Plans CSX has put a system in place to provide system-wide electronic access to fundamental railroad information. The system supports simple and rapid availability, streamlined distribution, timely availability, and universal and consistent information access. The system s graphical interface represents large amounts of information and access to detailed information. The simple and clear system supports the multiple roles, skills and experience that make up an entire railroad staff to maximize the impact on the railroads efficiency and reliability. Even as this paper was written CSX development team has started testing the system from their offices in Jacksonville Florida through the Internet to Optram s servers in Maynard, Massachusetts. System wide availability is scheduled for the fall of 2000.

15 Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the following organizations for support project and prior contributions to maintenance management concepts: CSX Engineering: CSX Technology: Terrill Track Consultants and Optram, Inc.: University of Massachusetts and ETS Inc.: University of Pretoria: Amtrak Engineering: Thomas Schmidt Sue Kenaston Vincent R. Terrill Dr. Ernest T. Selig. Professor Willem Ebersöhn. Alison Conway-Smith, John J. Cunningham Conrad Ruppert, and Michael J. Trosino. References 1) Data-Driven Computerized Track Charts, Roy W. Anderson, Ingenuity A Publication of the CSX Engineering Department, Vol. 2., No. 2, March/April ) Implementing a Railway Infrastructure Maintenance System, Willem Ebersöhn (University of Pretoria), Conrad J. Ruppert, Jr. (Amtrak), CORE Conference 1998.

16 3) Engineering Approach to Track Substructure Management on Conrail and Amtrak, Walter Heide, Conrad Ruppert, Ernest T. Selig and Willem Ebersöhn, AREA Annual Meeting presentation, March26, 1996.