Control office Planning, Execution, Review & Telecommunication

The functions of the Control organization may, for the purpose of understanding be conveniently classified under the heads of planning, execution and review, though in practice, of course, all three activities would be going on simultaneously.

PLANNING

1. Forecast of interchange;
2. Forecast of trains to be run section wise;
3. Forecast of supply of empties for bulk loading transshipment, etc.;
4. Forecast of unloading; & Release of inward loaded rakes placed for Unloading
5. Planning for engineering blocks and special moves.Information required for this purpose:

1. Power availability
2. Availability of loads
3. Disposition of empties and planning for loading
4. Analysis of divisional wagon holding
5. Demands for loading

The plan is made by Control in the early hours of morning and reviewed by Operating Officers. Changes in the plan, as deemed necessary are made at various stages on the basis of updated information received from the activity centres, adjacent divisions and instructions received from the Head Quarters. 

EXECUTION

The goods operation plan is executed on the basis of actual materialisation. of the forecast with suitable adjustments made for short falls /excesses. Yards, Loco Sheds, Stations, Terminals, Lobbies and TXR depots are actively involved in execution of the plan.

The day's plan is to be executed by yards, loco sheds, TXR depots, transshipment supervisors, area controls, SMs and must, therefore, be communicated to them as soon as it is finalized.

REVIEW: 

OBJECTIVES

The trend of the day’s position is reviewed by the Chief Controllers and Officers in the afternoon. Detailed review of the previous day’s performance is carried out early in the morning by the Operating Officers with the following objectives: 

1. Analysing shortfalls of previous day to take remedial measures and pin-point weak spots. 

2. Provide data for planning for the current day. The main features of performance, which can be reviewed, include: 

• Interchange failures 

• Divisional Wagon Balance (Wagons on Division) 

• Train Running 

• Disposition of empties 

• Loading at important terminals – and in case of shortfall, reason for the same. 

• Review of unusual occurrences 

• Examination of Control Charts 

• Particulars of stabled loads 

• Yard performance 

• Unloading on Division 

• Registrations and Loading 

• Power position, utilisation of Locos & Terminal detention 

• Sick line working 

• Special type of stock 

• Clearance of piecemeal wagons (sick or otherwise) from roadside stations.

Telecommunication-Facilities in Control:

Extensive, efficient and reliable communication network is necessary for the efficient functioning of the Control organization. The following telecommunication network is available in control offices.

1. FOIS Network
2. Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC)
3. Dual Phone Modulation Frequency (DPMF)
4. Hot lines are provided between:
a) Headquarter and divisions
b) Adjoining Divisions and Railways
c) Intercom facility to various officers and other functionaries concerned with the control is connected with important work with STD or Trunk exchanges.

3. Deputy Control lines:

This circuit is provided between various functionaries in the control office, stations and important work centers like yards, loco sheds, crew booking lobbies.

4. Section control circuit:

This circuit is connected to all the stations and the section controller, Chief controller etc.

5. Traction Power control circuit:

This additional circuit is available on the electrified sections; this is connected to T.P.C. in OHE remote control centre, all stations, control offices and selected work places. The section controller or T.P.C. can also be connected from the emergency socket provided over the sections of line by means of portable telephone of the control point with indication on the electric mast, direction
wise, to the nearest circuit.

6. Section control board:

The section controller of each section is provided with control board with telecommunication facilities for coaching stations, certain important cabins, big freight terminals, loco shed etc. over a section. For the guidance of section controller, the lay out of all the stations and sidings is painted on a large board.
The station lay out diagram is also provided with details of holding capacity of each of the running & non-running lines, gradients and signals. In electrified area, OHE sectioning diagram is provided. This depicts element section in different colours & other details of sectioning post (SP) and Sub-sectioning post
(SSP).

7. Graphs and Plotting:

1. Trains are plotted on control graphs which consist of horizontal and vertical lines representing distance and time respectively. Along side vertical lines stations are each and each unit is further sub-divided into 5 smaller units of 2 minutes each.

2. Each control graph at the end of the shift may have the following information on it.
a. Name and total distance of the section in Kilometers.
b. Distance in Kms between each station on the section.
c. Weather condition in each shift.
d. Engineering restrictions on the section.
e. Code names of each station of the section.
f. Time lost by each train on loco, traffic or engineering account at or between stations.
g. Section controller’s remarks against item (f).
h. Time made up each train on loco, traffic or engineering account.
i. Guard’s record of time lost on loco, traffic or engineering account at or between stations and remarks.
j. General remarks.
k. Signal failures.

3. In plotting various types of trains the coloured pencils shall be used as per extant convention. All up trains are plotted from the bottom of the chart upwards and from the left diagonally towards the right; and all down trains are plotted from the left diagonally towards the right; and all down trains are plotted from the top of the chart downwards and also diagonally from the left towards the right.

4. For judicious crossing and precedence, it is necessary to have plotting of passenger trains at least one hour in advance depending on traffic density in easily erasable lines. Now through computerised charting this is automated. On certain selected controls, this function has been automated.

8) Master Charts:

For every section, Master charts indicating trains run in 24 hours are prepared which show the running of each Mail, Express or passenger trains over the section according to its scheduled running. In between the running of the trains carrying passenger, paths for goods trains are worked out and plotted. They are helpful in revision of Time tables and planning the running of any extra trains and guidance of SCORs and should be displayed on the board to which they refer.