112

THE BASIC DESORES ON INTELLIGENT RAILWAY

INFORMATION SYSTEM
Yan Yusong
Professor
College of Computer Science and Technology
Sichuan Normal University
Chengdu610068,Sichuan,China
Fax:+86-28-84761994
Email:Yanyusong@263.net

Abstract:In this paper, the basic concept of Intelligent Railway Information System(IRIS)
will be given. The characteristics of intelligent railway information and the basic characters of
IRIS will be pointed out. The functions of IRIS will also be brought forward. The basic
buildup and the general structure of IRIS will be given, too. Several suggestions on
developing IRIS in China will be put forward at last.
Keywords:Intelligent Railway System,Intelligent Railway Information System,the basic
buildup,the general structure

1.THE BASIC CONCEPT OF INTELLIGENT RAILWAY INFORMATION SYSTEM

Intelligent Railway System(IRS) is a generic name of advanced new intelligent railway
transportation system. It's also an intelligent stage of railway development. IRS is a
systematization and intelligence for the plan, dedgfdsign, construction, operation and
management of railway transportation system. IRS is also a railway transportation system in
which the intelligence of railway transportation management and organization will be realized
according to the advanced information techniques and effective transport management means.
The maximum transport capacities and the highest transport efficiencies with the minimum
costs will also be gotten in IRS.
IRS relates to very extensive fields. With the parallelism of ITS, the basic buildup of IRS can
be indicated as Figure 1.
Intelligent Railway System

Intelligent Intelligent Intelligent

Transportation Train Transportation
Management Control Facilities
System System Management
System

Intelligent Intelligent Intelligent

Transportation User Transportation
Information Information Safety
System System Management
System

Figure 1. The Basic Buildup of IRS

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Intelligent Railway Information System(IRIS) is a system which deals with all kinds of
information about intelligent railway system(IRS). It includes collection, delivering, storing,
processing, using, maintenance of intelligent railway information. IRIS is an organic whole
system which consisting of sub-system’s Management Information System of IRS and linking
by modern communication equipments and lines. IRIS will share system network resources
with the help of perfect network software.
From the basic buildup of Intelligent Railway System, we know that IRIS is the foundation
and core of IRS. IRS cannot exert its function without perfect IRIS. Perfect and efficient IRIS
promotes application and development of IRS.
2. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTELLIGENT RAILWAY INFORMATION
Compared with information in other fields, the main characteristics of intelligent railway
information are listed as below:
The amount of intelligent railway information is very great because IRIS involves various
aspects of IRS and the amount of everyday’s operating locomotives&vehicles is very
great.
IRIS is a work system spreading in a great scope. IRIS has many information sources and
distributes wide districts.
The change of intelligent railway information is very fast. The worth of intelligent
railway information decelerates quickly, much intelligent railway information request
real-time. This means that the collection, delivering and processing of intelligent railway
information must be quick.
The categories of intelligent railway information are numerous. Not only there are many
kinds of information within IRS, but also there are much information from other relative
system, such as highway transport system, logistics system etc. which make the collection
and processing of intelligent railway information more difficult.
3. THE BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF IRIS
IRIS is a customer-machine system orient to the management. Customer and machine
must exchange information continuously and it’s a system that customer and machine
handle intelligent railway information each other. IRIS is set up to meet the demands of
the operation, management, organization of IRS, so IRIS is orient to management. But
IRIS can not do everything. So we must distinguish the activities done by IRIS with the
activities done by the person.
IRIS has a character of distributed handling data because. IRS is a distributed on the
geography position, so IRIS is also a distributed system and the corresponding databases
are also distributed.
IRIS is an open system. IRIS is an organic composed element of the whole transport and
traffic system. IRIS must communicate with other related information system in order to
satisfy the competition in transport market. IRIS must be an open system.
IRIS is a system who leeches on to and different from other sub-systems of IRS. As the
person's nervous system is distributed in each organ of all body, IRIS permeates each
section of IRS.

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IRIS is a scale-benefit system. IRIS engages in the harmony of whole IRS. The greater
IRS is, the more great effects IRIS takes, the more benefit improving IRIS can be
obtained.
4. THE ROLES OF IRIS
IRIS is the foundation of IRS. IRS is an integrated great system mainly for the
organization and controlling of railway transportation, which involves every aspect and
every department of railway transportation. So, the amount of information and the kinds
of information are both great. Otherwise, the information of IRS must be dynamic and
real-time. The information of IRS is widely distributed in different areas. In such large
system, IRIS makes foundation role.
IRIS is the core of IRS. IRS is an organic whole with exercising regulation itself. By the
collection, storage, transmitting and processing, the information of IRIS become the basis
of management and decision-making of IRS. The information of IRIS make organization
role, controlling role and coordination role in IRS.
IRIS is the reliability and effectivity guarantee of IRS. If intelligent railway information
go wrong, then the organization, controlling and coordination of IRS will make mistakes.
If the IRIS breaks down, then the IRS will sink into paralysis. IRIS plays guarantee role
in IRS.
5. THE BASIC BUILDUP OF IRIS
As showed in Figure 2, IRIS is made up of six sub-systems, which is called Intelligent
Railway Transportation Management Information System(IRTMIS), Intelligent Railway User
Information Service System(IRUISS), Intelligent Railway Trains Running-Control
Information System(IRTRCIS), Intelligent Railway Facilities Management Information
System(IRFMIS), Intelligent Railway Safety Management Information System(IRSMIS) and
Intelligent Railway Outside- Connected Information System(IROCIS).

Intelligent railway information system

Intelligent Intelligent Intelligent

Railway User Railway Facilities Railway Outside-
Information Management Connected
Service System Information Information
System System

Intelligent Intelligent Intelligent

Railway Railway Trains Railway Safety
Transportation
Management Running- Control Management
Information Information Information
System System System

Figure 2. The Buildup of IRIS

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IRTMIS is the core of IRIS. Usually, it is responsible for offering the whole transport
information and server to all the personnel in railway. TMIS is the principal part of IRTMIS,
and it includes the financial management information system, plan and statistics management
information system, locomotive-using management information system, power-supply and
water-supply management information system, vehicle-using management information
system, engineering management information system, materials management information
system and office automation system.
IRUISS includes freight transport service system, passenger booking-ticket system, passenger
guidance and service system, passenger and freight transport consulting system etc., IRUISS
faces the passengers and users, provides the passenger and freight service information on time
and accurately. So it can meet the demands of the passengers and users comfortably.
IRTRCIS is a main constitute part of IRIS. IRTRCIS provides the condition information on
train operation and its outsider environment, provides the train’s decision-making information
and trains adjusting information. Still, IRTRCIS realizes automatic or semi-automatic
controlling of train’s running and makes the train’s running keeping higher speed, shorter
interval and more safety.
IRFMIS aims at managing the transport facilities efficiently, offers the status information,
maintaining information, and management information of the transport facilities. IRFMIS
includes the railway line facilities management information system (include bridges,
tunnels...etc.), locomotive management information system, vehicle-maintaining management
information system, power-supply facilities management information system, station facilities
management information system, communication and signal facilities management
information system.
IRSMIS mainly insures transport safety, which collects and provides the railway transport
accident information, accident rescue information and accident-handling information on time
and accurately.
IROCIS provides an interface for IRIS contacting with other information system. IROCIS can
be used to exchange information with other controlling system (such as the intelligence
transportation system ITS, logistics and controlling system etc.).
6. THE CONSTRUCTION FRAME OF IRIS
IRIS will be composed of four kinds of sub-system with different levels, which is called
railway ministry IRIS, railway administration bureau IRIS, railway administration branch
bureau IRIS and station IRIS, which is suitable for the management system of IRS. In every
different level IRIS, we can establish database respectively. The construction frame of IRIS is
showed as Figure 3.
7. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON DEVELOPING IRIS IN CHINA
(1) Think a great deal of the researches and exploitations of IRIS
To develop IRS in China we must develop IRIS quickly. Therefore, we must think a great
deal of the researches and exploitations of IRIS. Moreover, we should establish the leader
group on the researches and exploitations of IRIS in China, organize the related researchers to

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exploit and research IRIS jointly.

Railway
administration railway ministry Central
bureau IRIS database

railway railway administration branch Branch

administration Internet network bureau IRIS and station IRIS bureau
bureau IRIS database

station IRIS station

database

Figure 3. The Construction Frame of IRIS

(2) Enhance the construction design and integration of IRIS

We cannot realize railway intelligence without railway information and numeralization. In
china, railway numeralization is developed quickly and has made good practical uses.
Railway numeralization is the foundation of railway intelligence and railway intelligence
must rely on railway numeralization. In order to let the development of railway
numeralization meet the demand of railway intelligence, we must enhance the construction
design and integration of IRIS and let railway intelligence has a very good foundation and
development condition. Planning and building intelligent railway united information platform
is a key of developing IRIS. Integrating all kinds of transport management and service
information system is a current urgent task.
(3) Develop railway GIS actively
Railway GIS is a basic system of IRIS. Only when we combine Railway GIS with IRIS, can
the uses of IRIS will be fully made. Many functions of IRIS can be realized perfectly. So if
we want to develop IRIS favorably and let it exert functions in IRIS, we must setup and
develop railway GIS.
(4) Pay highly attention to the application of GPS
Railway train positioning technique is a key technique of Chinese IRS, and GPS rises the key
function in the railway train positioning. Only when railway train positioning information is
accurately, can we organize, control and supervise the train’s operating, can the functions of
IRIS will be exerted and realize IRS really.
REFERENCES
a)Books and Books chapters
YAN Yu-song and JIANG Ge-fu,(2002) Intelligent Railway System and Optimization of
Organizing the Train Flows in Railway Terminal, Southwest Jiaotong University
Press,Chengdu,China.
S Ghosh,T Lee,et al.(2000) Intelligent Transportation Systems:New Principles and

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
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Architecture,CRC Press,USA.
b)Journal papers
YAN Yu-song,(2001) Some considerations on research and development of Intelligent
Railway System, Traffic & Transport Engineering Journal,Vol.,No.4,15-20.
SHEN Zhong-jie,WANG Wu-hong,HOU Fu-guo and YI Bing, (2002) Architecture and key
techniques of digital driving system within intelligent transport information network
environment,Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Vol.4,No.1,96-100.
NIE A-xin, (2002) The research on application,Configuration and key technologies of railway
intelligent transportation system,China railway science, Vol.23,No.2,15-20.

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003