F-MAN - Rail Car Asset Management
Overview
Background & policy context:
The European cargo railways are facing more and more productivity problems with the single wagonload regime. One reason is the poor visibility of their wagons, their main asset. In so far, a highly efficient asset management is scarcely feasible with the classical tools. The project F-MAN, started in October 2001 and completed in September 2004, is providing a solution to that problem: a telematic system provides wagons position and status information to an application software, which is giving the future fleet manager enough information to secure an economic selection of 'his' wagons and an updating of that decision if the wagon is in delay. The project developed the F-MAN System Prototype mainly composed of three modules (TSM, DPM, AMM) which include both hardware and software elements:
- Tracking System Module (TSM). This module is composed of On-Board-Terminals (OBTs) and the information management system, which is ground based. The OBT is mainly composed of a GNSS receiver combined with a GSM module, which is able to perform a sufficient European coverage, plus a set of sensors to collect information about wagon status (loaded, unloaded, running, stopped, …). Each rail car Owner and F-MAN User is given the possibility of using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in order to visualise his wagons on a map in real time, and also to show on the screen relevant information regarding each wagon (i.e. loaded, unloaded, stopping, running, wagon history, etc). The OBT information management ensures an Event Messaging, which is the basis for the Data processing.
- Data Processing Module (DPM). This module concentrates all information coming from the OBTs, it performs some operations, it distributes information to the different actors of the system and it stores data for offline analysis. It is an articulated communication system based on Internet technologies. To forecast Expected Time of Arrival (ETA), OBT data (line tracking) have to be processed by means of proper algorithms. Depending on the specific wagon task of the Customer (wagon type, destination, time frame), the new function of a Fleet Manager needs a quick response time from the F-MAN Pool per wagon type. Thanks to this prompt information coming from the F-MAN system, the Fleet Manager is continuously able to reduce his empties by offering them to other Rail Cargo Operators (RCOs) via Internet. Some information concerning railcar maintenance is also collected with the final aim of improving the wagons availabilit
Objectives:
This project aimed at improving the sustainability of rail freight transport and the competitiveness of Railway Cargo Operators (RCOs), including the new Rail Undertakings. The original main objective of F-MAN was to provide the RCOs with innovative tools to control their international wagon fleet, and to enhance the productivity of wagons. To reach that goal, the Consortium had to design and develop the following items:
- The On-Board Terminal to collect wagon position and status information and send it to the Operation Centre, according to pre-defined events criteria (Event Messaging);
- The Operation Centre to forecast the Expected Time of Arrival using suitable models;
- The Internet-based bid and offer module (F-MAN pool) to reduce the empty returns;
- The status-oriented maintenance module to improve the availability of wagons;
- A Decision support system based on financial and commercial criteria to assist the control of wagons fleet.
To reach all the ambitious objectives of the F-MAN project, the Consortium proposed to adopt a modular architecture that, on the one hand would have provided suitable flexibility in respect to the hardware choices, and on the other hand would have granted the maximum scalability of the system itself. As the following Chapters will describe, such early proposal became the Consortium choice and its validity was confirmed during the technical development phase of the project and the prototype verification phase.
Methodology:
In the following, a short description of each Work Package is provided to give evidence of the approach followed to achieve the project objectives.
Work Package no. 1 - Users' Needs
As a basis for the functional requirements, the Users needs, whose definition was the objective of this WP1, were identified according to the following procedure:
- Analysis of the future accessible strategies for rail cargo companies. This activity was done through interactions and direct interviews and questionnaires to the railway operators involved in the partnership (CP, PI-SZ and SIGMA-SNCF) and their partners.
- Wider consultation on organisational conditions and their possible evolutions through interviews with a broader set of rail cargo operators. Collected feedback was presented to the Railway Operators Group during a dedicated Workshop in order to fine tune the Users needs.
Work Package no. 2 – Functional Requirements and architecture
The objectives of this WP2 were to specify the functional requirements of a Fleet Management for rail cargo companies, and to design a proper architecture for the F-MAN system. To reach those goals, the following process was run:
- Taking into specific account the investigation performed in WP1, the overall requirements, as well as the functional specification of the system were drawn out. In order to ensure the complete definition of the system, the AFNOR standard was adopted;
- Based on the 'main function identification' of the overall system, the F-MAN system architecture was defined, as well as the one of each single module.
- Thanks to the AFNOR application, it was then possible to check, through a methodical bottom-up procedure, the thoroughness and consistency of the designed architecture.
Work Package no. 3 – Development
This WP3 aimed at developing the F-MAN tools (namely, hardware and software), in compliance with the specification and the definition set in WP2. The following F-MAN modules were developed:
- Tracking System Module (TSM) - The Tracking System Module is composed of On-Board Terminal (OBT) and the ground information management system. The OBT is composed of a GNSS receiver combined with a GSM module. Such module also provides the Users with visualisation of wagons on custo
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