1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am greatly indebted to my faculty and Guide, Prof. Srinivas Rao Puttur .He guided me through the inevitable ups and downs that charac-
terize such a long and important project. Without his never ending striving for improvement, the present result would not have been gained.
I also cordially thank my second advisor, Mr. Jignesh Khakkar, who always helped me to look for the big picture in my work.
Without mentioning Prof. Bhavin Kothari this acknowledgement cannot be written. He has always been the constant link and source of
information throughout.
I would like to extend my thanks to Mr. A. Meena, Station Master, Gandhinagar Railway Station, for believing in me and speaking his heart
out about Railways and Information System.
Finally, a special thanks to all my friends at NID without whose support, I could not have completed this project work.
2
INDEX

Introduction
Why Railways
Literature Survey

System Identifcation
Secondary Research
Primary Research
Concept for System I
Concept for System II
Learning
Bibliography
3
5
6
11
15
21
29
30
36
37
3
Te Elephant Metaphor of Reality
Te fgure depicts the story of Six Wise Blind men who saw Elephant from
diferent perspectives and gave their interpretations.
At various times in the System Design Project it has provided insight into
the relativism, opaqueness or inexpressible nature of truth, the behaviour of
experts in felds where there is a defcit or inaccessibility of information, the
need for communication, and respect for diferent perspectives.
4
Introduction to System Tinking
Systems thinking have its foundation in the feld of system dynamics,
founded in 1956 by MIT professor Jay Forrester. Professor Forrester rec-
ognized the need for a better way of testing new ideas about social sys-
tems, in the same way we can test ideas in engineering. Systems thinking
allows people to make their understanding of social systems explicit and
improve them in the same way that people can use engineering principles
to make explicit and improve their understanding of mechanical systems.
Te Systems Tinking Approach
Te approach of systems thinking is fundamentally diferent from that of
traditional forms of analysis. Traditional analysis focuses on the separating
the individual pieces of what is being studied; in fact, the word analysis ac-
tually comes from the root meaning to break into constituent parts. Sys-
tems thinking, in contrast, focuses on how the thing being studied interacts
with the other constituents of the systema set of elements that interact to
produce behaviorof which it is a part. Tis means that instead of isolat-
ing smaller and smaller parts of the system being studied, systems thinking
works by expanding its view to take into account larger and larger numbers
of interactions as an issue is being studied. Tis results in sometimes strik-
ingly diferent conclusions than those generated by traditional forms of
analysis, especially when what is being studied is dynamically complex or
has a great deal of feedback from other sources, internal or external. Te
character of systems thinking makes it extremely efective on the most dif-
fcult types of problems to solve: those involving complex issues, those that
depend a great deal dependence on the past or on the actions of others,
and those stemming from inefective coordination among those involved.
5
Why Railways:
It is an Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government
of India through the Ministry of Railways. It is one of the worlds largest railway
networks comprising 115,000 km (71,000 mi) of track over a route of 65,000
km (40,000 mi) and 7,500 stations. As of December 2012, it transported over
25 million passengers daily (over 9 billion on an annual basis). In 2011, IR car-
ried over 8,900 million passengers annually or more than 24 million passengers
daily (roughly half of which were suburban passengers) and 2.8 million tons
of freight daily. In 20112012 Indian Railways had revenues of INR1119848.9
million (US$17 billion) which consists of INR696759.7 million (US$11 billion)
from freight and INR286455.2 million (US$4.4 billion) from passengers tickets.
It is this enormity of the system which interested me the most. A
good solution can impact millions of people using this system.
Further the idea was studied, the components in a rail-
ways system were studied and the System to be explored
was pin pointed i.e. Information System in Railways.
6
Literature Survey
7
Determinants of Customer Satisfaction on Service
Quality: A Study of Railway Platforms in India
Te study states that Scholars have undertaken studies on various aspects
of railway services, but platforms have failed to attract researcher attention.
Railway platforms are an important part of the railway system. Waiting at a
platform may range from 15 minutes to several hours (especially in the Indi-
an context, where late running of trains is normal) to wait for a connecting
train or due to late running of a train. A case was fled against Indian Railways
highlighting the agony faced by the senior citizens and children due to delays
in the arrival of trains (http://www.igovernment.in/site/Railways-pulled-to-
court-for-running-trains-late/?section=Human%20Rights/).
Tere are various angles to this situation, but in this paper the premise is that
passengers necessarily have to use platform services, and their agony may be
mitigated by making their stay at the platforms more comfortable. Hence, a
study has been attempted to determine customer (passenger) perceptions of
satisfactory service quality at railway platforms.
Objective of the study:
Te study aims to identify the factors for passenger satisfaction regarding
facilities provided on platforms. Customer satisfaction has been commonly
accepted as an indicator of service quality However, the literature shows that
there is no consensus on
the determinants of service quality. Terefore, the basic objective of the study
is to identify important factors determining service quality of Indian Rail-
ways platforms that lead to customer satisfaction.
Conclusion of Study:
Determinants identifed are availability and quality of refreshments, efective-
ness of information systems, behavior of railway staf,
basic amenities provided on platforms, and safety and security. Refreshments
and behavioral factors are considered most important by passengers. Tese
factors determine passenger satisfaction on railway platforms and may be dif-
ferent from determinants of satisfaction with Indian Railways as a whole. Te
study thus provides a direction for railway administration whereby areas for
improving services may be identifed and user (passenger) satisfaction, spe-
cifcally on railway platforms, may be enhanced.
8
Passenger
Satisfaction
Safety &
Security
Refreshments
Behavioral
Factors
Basic
Amenities
Information
System
Factors which decide the Passenger/Traveller Satisfation
9
Railway Vision Document 2020 - Mamta Banerjee
VISION 2020 will address fve strategic national goals:
- Inclusive development, both geographically and socially;
- Strengthening national integration;
- Large-scale generation of productive employment;
- Environmental sustainability; and,
- Reinventing Passenger Services.
Reinventing Passenger Services with Change for Tommorow as
motto:
Te look and feel of Indian Railways in 2020 will be radically diferent from
what it is today. Railways will eliminate shortage and meet the demand for rail
travel in full. Passengers travelling long distance or short distance between
cities or availing of our suburban services must fnd the journey on Indian
Railways pleasant- fast, punctual, comfortable, clean, and, indeed, memora-
ble. Te Railway Stations and trains must set the highest standards of hygiene,
sanitation, safety, security and hospitality and yet ofer these services at af-
fordable prices.
Large, well-designed passenger concourses with adequate and high-quality
waiting space easily accessible to platforms, conference halls, business cen-
tres, retail shops, restaurants, entertainment and cultural facilities, museums
and art galleries, and a variety of other attractions would make the passen-
gers stay pleasant and memorable. In other words, these stations would go
beyond being mere transport hubs. Tey would become vibrant centres of the
life of the cities, for commerce, entertainment and social space.
Challenges Faced in Passenger Segment:
a. Upgradation of Quality of Services
Increasing population, prosperity and urbanization combined with a favour-
able demographic profle would continue to fuel the growth of passenger traf-
fc across all segments. Tere would be a steady upward movement towards
the premium classes. However, to reposition rail travel as a frst choice option
among passengers, including tourists, would call for a major make-over in
the image of trains, stations and passenger services. A number of initiatives
have already been taken to cater to this trend but there still is a large number
of areas which would require close attention. Tese include: development of
modern passenger stations and terminals, re-design of trains with pleasing,
soothing colours and exteriors, plush interiors and green toilets, responsive
expansion of supply to match demand, raising of speed, use of information
technology to make the entire interface of passengers with the Railways a
pleasant one and a systematic approach to provision of on-board services like
catering, bed-roll supply, entertainment, information and guidance etc. Re-de-
sign of second class coaches to make them more comfortable for passengers
should also be a priority.
Modernizing passenger information, enquiry and guidance systems at the sta-
tions and its integration to real-time train running by use of intelligent techno-
logical aids would be another important challenge.
10
Passenger Services Vision:
By 2020, Railways passenger services would be transformed from a supply-
constrained business to a state of availability on demand. Quality of services
in terms of punctuality, safety, security, sanitation, cleanliness and amenities
at stations and onboard, better experience, catering and other value- added
services (pre-boarding and post -disembarkation) would be upgraded to match
the best in the world. Access to railway services will also be improved by us-
ing existing and innovative networks of distribution channels like internet,
mobile telephones and other vending mechanism. Enquiry services would
be transformed by using online data from train operations and emerging
technologies of internet and mobile telephones. Speed of trains would be
raised to 160-200 kmph on segregated passenger routes and work on a few
selected corridors of high speed trains travelling at 250kmph to 300 kmph
would be initiated. Special attention will be paid to meet the requirements of
lady passengers, students and youth.
11
Identifying the System
12
Components Identifed
Based on the Literature survey and on-feld observations, various Compo-
nents were analyzed in the next step.
Some of them were:
1. Safety & Security,
2. Food & Catering,
3. Organizational structure,
4. Ticketing System,
5. Passenger Information System,
6. Freight Transportation,
7. Railways and environment
8. Employment, etc
Railway System comprises of all the above mentioned and many more oth-
er sub-systems. For proper functioning of all these sub-components various
connections and inter-relations are established. Information fow amongst
these systems is a must for overall working of these components.
Based on the study Determinants of Customer Satisfaction on Service Qual-
ity. A new Model was developed which stated that information system is a
common system existing and efecting all the other systems in Railways.
Refreshments (Catering)
Behavioral Factors
Basic Amenities
Safety and Security
Passenger Satisfaction
INFORMATION SYSTEM
INFORMATION SYSTEM
A Revised Layout of the fndings of the
study
13
Te next step was to jolt down each stake holder Involved with Information:
14
15
Secondary Research
16
What is Public Information System?
Bo Swendgren, Sweden University
Orman defnes public information systems as - systems designed for use by
the general public, rather than specialists in a particular feld or organization.
Te purpose of a public information system is to provide some kind of ser-
vice or support to a public process, or process involving .the general public
or society at large. In contrast, a non-public or private information system
provides services to some rather specifc users closely associated with a par-
ticular organisation, performing some specifc tasks that are ofen internal to
the organisation, e.g. internal administrative processes.
Who is the general public? Basically the public is a collective of people,
e.g. the citizens of a society. We may broaden the concept to also include
collectives of other actors, e.g. companies, especially small companies and
organisations, which may ofen have needs vis-a-vis public authorities that
are similar in nature to the needs of individual people. Tus, for example,
both citizens and companies fnd themselves in situations where they have to
perform a particular process (chain of tasks) vis--vis one or more authorities
in order to obtain some kind of decision, e.g. a permit, a payment, etc.
In addition, there are certain categories of professionals, who are ofen
thought of as representatives or advocates of the general public and society at
large, e.g. journalists, politicians, and researchers.
Te actors involved in a public information system will usually belong to the
following three categories:
C: private persons and households/families in their roles as citizens, clients,
customers
B: business companies and other types of organisations, e.g. non-proft or-
ganisations
G: government agencies and institutions on diferent levels (central, regional,
local)
17
Identify User Profles in Information System with
Unknown Users
-Erik Axelsson, Karlstad University
Databases in public environments ofen record data and present information
in text, image and video formats and are thus defned as image or multime-
dia databases. Te design of image or multimedia databases in public envi-
ronment causes specifc problems. Te users in such a database system are
ofen regarded as unknown. One reason is that the users in the system do
not always exist at the moment of system design. Another reason is that the
number of users is so great that it is impossible to communicate with all of
them. In addition, in order to foresee a query to an image or multimedia da-
tabase this involves both the intellectual and emotional side of the question
and requires a detailed knowledge of the user requirements and the perspec-
tive they may adopt with regard to the image. As a result, it is not reasonable
to assume that the intention of the design procedure is to achieve an absolute
one- to-one correspondence between the database model and the UoD.
Te database design process traditionally addresses the design problems
using a three step process including conceptual, logical and physical mod-
elling. Te view modelling and integration presupposes that the users are
known and possible to contact by one means or another. If this precondition
is not fulflled a new situation
arises which requires a diferent approach to be adopted in order to design
the image database model to mirror the requirements of the users. In this
paper an approach is presented which is based on a combination of a tradi-
tional database design method, the view modelling process, and Coopers
view regarding interaction design and semiotic fndings. Te semiotic triangle
implies that
there is never any direct relationship between an object and its representation
or symbol. However, this does occur through the conceptions of an observer
and every new interpretation is deemed to be a new conception. Te maxi-
mum number of
interpretations is not possible to fx in advance (or probably never possible to
deduce). However, the more conceptions or perspectives that have been re-
vealed, the more complete the information is of the object. Nevertheless, there
is probably not a one-to- one agreement between the model and the UoD and
the implication is that it is unlikely for all the interpretations or perspectives
to have been found. In the controversial method of Cooper [1999] the users
are not involved in the design process. Instead, they are represented by an ar-
chetypical user, called a persona. Te persona is a hypothetical user and his/
her goals and requirements are revealed by means of a data analysis gathered
from interviews and observations.
18
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
Report
Spatial Knowledge:
Level 1 Te young child notices and remembers landmarks.
Level 2 As the child grows older, it learns routes and uses landmarks to go
from point to point.
Level 3 Te next stage is the development of clusters or minimaps not well
related to the large-scale environment.
Level 4 Later still, diferentiation of the self from the environment occurs
the conceptualization of outside features and boundaries independent of
body position. Tis occurs in early adolescence.
Level 5 Formation of mental survey maps occurs in
the adult.
Children tend to pick salient but not necessarily relevant landmark cues;
adults tend to select reference points at actual nodes or choice points. Tere is
evidence that some older people may regress somewhat to an earlier point in
the developmental cycle sketched above (i.e., they may move from
Level 5 to Level 4 or 3 as they age). People with developmental or learning
disabilities may never attain Level 4 or 5. Implications from this and similar
models for route guidance information are that reference points should be
concrete objects such as landmarks rather than arbitrary locations. Te
memory for objects is superior to the memory of abstractions. Map clutter
extraneous nice to know informationis a major factor in making mistakes
in distance estimation or route planning; schematic maps that regularize the
terrain and make it more grid-like are easier to recall.
Point of Reference and the Environment
Te point of reference must be carefully considered in the design of any in-
formation system for riders of a public transit system. Te question must be
asked and answered, Where are the common points of reference for all users
of this transit system? Once the common points of reference are established,
representation of the physical world and of the transit system in which they
are embedded must be considered.
At least three aspects of the environment must be
simulated:
Particular locations;
Distances between particular locations; and
Relationships among locations.
19
Particular Locations
Locations should be labeled with respect to knowledge the rider already has
or can be presumed to have. Labels must relate to the mental picture that the
rider has formed of the city or district which they are attempting to traverse.
One question is whether all possible locations that can be reached
from the present location (e.g., a bus stop) should be identifed, or whether
the location labels should be spaced. Ofen, place labels are meaningful to
operators in the system, but have no such signifcance to users.
Distances
Distance between locations may be expressed in terms of time between lo-
cations or cumulative time or in terms of space to be traversed (e.g., miles,
blocks, or some other metric that describes the transit journey for the pas-
senger).
Relationships
Te rider or user must convert actual geographic direction into some oth-
er represented direction. He or she is moving through three-dimensional
space, but must conceptualize the space as a two-dimensional projection.
What Does the Beginning Rider Need to Know?
Transit systems must know the information needs of the beginning rider,
together with an idea of who that beginning rider is, in order to develop in-
formation design. Te beginning riders may be as follows:
Elderly,
Children,
People of any age without a car in a strange town,
People curious to try a new mode of transportation,
People with disabilities or other disadvantages, and
People with little or no familiarity with English.
A given begining rider may be anyone of these or a combination of several.
Tese diverse kinds of people have the following needs in common:
1. Te primary need of all prospective riders is to be able to determine if
transit provides a reasonable connection between a planned trip origin and
destination.
2. Beginning riders need to have positive guidance in all aspects of route plan-
ning and during the actual trip. Te powerful concept of positive guidance,
developed under the auspices of the FHWA for highway drivers, has applica-
tion to transit as well. Translated into transit terms, positive guidance means
giving the rider the maximum amount of visual information that is as
follows:
Useful;
Prioritized in importance;
Uniform, consistent, and without surprises; and
Easily visible under as many riding conditions as
possible.
What Does the Experienced Rider Need to Know?
Te experienced riders needs are not qualitatively diferent from those of the
beginning rider, but are merely a smaller part of that same package. Te true
commuter who takes the same bus each day at the same time and place only
20
needs the bus/route identifer, if the stop is a transfer point; nothing if the
bus stop is serviced by only one route. Te commuter is at one extreme of
information needs; the beginning rider is at the other: he or she needs every-
thing he or she can get. Riders familiar with the system, but going diferent
places at various times and occasions, need most of the information the be-
ginner needs, but are much more able to derive the route guidance they seek.
In reference to specifc route guidance information enumerated above, such
riders have little need for the lay of the land. Tey usually have a good idea
about the places and areas served by the system. Tey will, however, probably
need to know how close the bus stop is to the destination, where are the node
points, and when are they served. Tey may not need much information on
waiting times, because they ride the system already, but trip times will be of
interest. If they are going to new places on the system, they need to know
node point names just as others do. All riders need vehicle identifcation/
route numbers and status on the route (how soon do I get of?).
Te Legible Transit System
A legible transit system is a system in which a passenger can get from one
point to another easily, without anxiety about getting lost, and without out-
side assistance. One study defned it as the ease with which parts of (the tran-
sit system) can be reorganized and integrated into a coherent pattern. Te
dilemma faced in designing route information is that of providing the pas-
senger with all the information he or she needs to successfully complete the
trip without overloading that rider with irrelevant detail. What constitutes
irrelevant detail varies with the passenger and with the trip. A frequent
public transit user, familiar with the city, needs little more than a list of stops
for each route in order to plan his or her trip, and will be frustrated with
too much detail. A new or infrequent rider or a rider unfamiliar with the
city needs more information: route locations, transfer points, arrival and de-
parture times, and possibly a complete map of the city. In either case, route
information that is hard to understand will confuse and frustrate a potential
rider and encourage him or her to fnd some other source of transportation
. Additional challenges face the rider who has visual disabilities, is non-En-
glish-speaking, or has low reading ability. It appears that these are the audi-
ences, or customer segments, for which passenger information aids should
be designedthe people who may choose not to ride public transit because
of their fear of getting lost or stranded. Any information services constitute
a prosthesis for the lack of transparency of the transit system, because that
system is complex.
Tese information services must somehow build on the following:
1. What people already know about the system (situation awareness),
2. Representation of new information through signs and symbols,
3. Locations and relationships among locations served by the transit system,
and
4. Te uses of the information services to formulate plans and reach goals.
21
Primary Research
22
Te Primary Research Was divided into three parts:
1. Data Collection
2. Analysis of Data
3. Identifying Areas to work on
Data Collection:
Tools and techniques used to collect data:
- On feld Observation,
- One to one interviews
- Surveys

One to One conversation and interview:
An interview comprising of 50 people was taken. Te method used to select
the population was random selection on the railway platform which included
males, females, elderly, children and Foreign nationals who were travelling
and using the railway platform.
Some of the key insights generated were :
1. People want to know what the compulsory facilities available on the plat-
form are.
2. Visibility of electronic display from a distance is a problem.
3. Announcement is not audible during rush hour.
4. Platform 1 is always well equipped and rest of the platforms is neglected.
5. My coach stopped at the end of the station and I cannot go far to fetch the
necessities.
6. I am always scared to get down on platform as train starts suddenly as
soon as the horn blows.
7. Tere is lot of chaos and randomness on station.
8. I dont know the time for which the train will stop on station.
9. No identifcation of Genuine and fake vendors except the uniform colour
which anyone can fake.
10. No information about shortest route.
11. Dont know where to go, lef or right, to buy food as soon as I step down
from the train.
12. No information about coolie charges.
23
On Field Observations:
LOW VISIBILITY IN DAY LIGHT
VISIBILTY OF SIGNAGES RESTRICTED DUE TO AD-
VERTISEMENTS BOARDS
INABILITY OF HUMAN EYE TO READ SMALL SIZED SIG-
NAGES FROM A DISTANCE
24
For Passengers on station
For Passengers in Train
Formal Sources Of Information in
Railways
Ishikawas Scatter Diagram technique
is used here to identify the major pain
points.
Out of 11 services-
11 available to passenger on platform
& only
5 available to passenger travelling in
train
25
Surveys:
Participants were made to listen to an audio recording and were shown a
visual signage in order to reach a canteen available on platform. Te experi-
ment was repeated with 50 candidates. Te question asked was to
Rate the best option out of the two.
Te Information Sources were identifed on station. A Pictorial album of each
was made and shown to the participants so that they can relate. then they
were asked to rate
How happy are they on a scale of 1-5, 5 being happiest about the following in-
formation system.
26
Scenario Building
Scenario I
Amol is travelling to delhi via Mumbai-Ahmedabad- Delhi route in
A.C compartment.
He is not carrying food with him.
He gets down at ahmedabad station to buy food.
His coach is standing at the end of platform.
He does not know for how much time the train will stop.
He asks a coolie about the food stall and stoppage time.
He runs to buy the food as the time of stoppage is less.
He buys the food and starts walking towards his compartment.
Suddenly the train honks and starts moving.
Amol panics and run to the nearest sleeper 2nd class coach and gets
inside.
He moves towards his compartment through train aisle.
On reaching A.C compartment he realizes that the connecting door is
closed.
Now he has to wait till next station to get down and reach his own com
partment.
Scenario II
Amol is travelling to delhi via Mumbai-Ahmedabad- Delhi route in
A.C compartment.
He is feeling uneasy and wants medicine for stomach ache.
He gets down at the station.
He starts looking for medical shop even though he is not sure about the
availability.
He asks a few people who confuse him further.
He cannot go far as the stoppage is less and he is feeling uneasy.
Suddenly the train Honks and starts moving.
Amol has to get onboard with the pain.
He then asks the fellow passengers for medicine and luckily gets it.
27
Opportunity Areas / Areas to Work on
Based on all the primary and secondary research data and its synthesis,
a few bottlenecks were identifed which are hampering the proper function-
ing of the Passenger Information System of Indian Railways.
Working on the time management for the passengers travelling in train
as the passenger on board lacks information about the stoppage time,
platform information, amenities available.
Working to make the amenities available on the platform within the
reach/proximity of the passenger sitting in any of the compartments.
To standardize the information about the services available on the plat-
form across the country as the services in the current system are chaotic
and randomly placed. ( barring a few like drinking water and charting
board).
It was observed that the information about the services available on plat-
form to the passenger travelling in train is a huge loop hole which needs
to be worked upon.
28
WW
System Reworking Concepts
29
Sr.no A B
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
Food A2, Medicines A3, Books B2
And so on
CONCEPT I
Te concept is inspired from the information system used by graphs, Charts,
Grids & Matrix,etc. For example Microsof excel uses Labeled Grids in or-
der to tell the exact position or location of a particular information box. By
using combinations like A1, L6 , etc a person can directly retrieve informa-
tion without scanning the whole chart.
A similar concept can also be used at railway stations where whole platform
is considered as a grid and the service providers like, book stall, food ven-
dors, medicine shops, etc can be treated as individual box in the grid.
Tis grid can be repeated at a pre-decided fxed interval (which would be
standardized across the nation) in order to reduce the distance to be cov-
ered by passenger.
It can solve the following problems:
Exact location( his/her location and the stall location both) is now
knownto passenger.
It reduces mis-leading by others.
Time Consumption to scan through the crowded platform is reduced.
Passenger gets to know the services available on the platform at a single
glance.
30
Concept II
How People Navigate : Wayfnding Methods
Whether walking through a building, driving in a city, or selecting routes
on public transit, a traveler must develop a mental image of the surrounding
environment, of his or her own location within the environment, and of his
or her progression through the environment to the desired destination.
Such knowledge is acquired in three basic stages:
In the frst stage of wayfnding, a person identifes landmarks and begins
to orient himself or herself using these landmarks as references.
As landmark knowledge develops into route or procedural knowledge, a
person starts to build travel directions and decisions around the frame-
work of landmarks and can visualize travel plans as a series of actions
that will take him or her from an origin to a destination.
Finally, with enough navigational experience in a particular environ-
ment, a person will develop a mental picture, or cognitive map, of that
environment, including knowledge of the landmarks, the routes from
any one place to another, and approximate or relative distances between
them. Tis survey knowledge allows the person to describe routes he or
she may never have traveled, by defning them in terms of this cogni-
tive map. Although survey knowledge can be developed eventually from
route knowledge and real-world navigation through the environment, it
can ofen be acquired more quickly from map study. A printed map of
landmarks and the spatial relationships between them helps to form the
cognitive map in a readers mind.
31
What people need in order to navigate unfamiliar journeys through
Transit:
Like any wayfnding experience, navigation through a transit system in-
volves the preceding three stages: orientation via landmarks, development
of route knowledge to travel between those landmarks, and, fnally, survey
knowledge of the transit system. Transit information aids must translate the
many elements of a transit systemits geography, connections, operations,
and rulesinto a base of knowledge that will allow a rider to identify and
make decisions about the routes, transfers, and boarding and disembarking
locations that will deliver him or her to the correct destination. User-friendly
transit information aids provide this information in a way that allows the
rider to travel confdently and easily through the various segments of a trip.
Ideally, passenger information should be available at every stage of the riders
transit trip. Pre-trip information helps the rider to plan routes and connec-
tions. In-transit information assists the rider at each decision point during
the trip. Supportive/confrming information repeats and reinforces data and
decisions and helps the rider to feel more confdent that he or she is progress-
ing toward the desired destination.
Pre-trip information needs consist of the following:
Location of the nearest stop,
Routes that travel to the desired destination and transfer locations,
Fare, and
Time of departure and approximate duration of the trip.
In-transit information needs consist of the following:
At the departure pointidentifcation of the correct mode to take;
On the modeidentifcation of stops for transfers or disembarking;
At transfer pointshow to transfer to another route; cost, time limits, and
restrictions; and identifcation of the correct mode to take; and
At the destinationarea geography (i.e., location of the fnal destination
in relation to the current location) and return trip information (e.g., de-
parture times and changes in route numbers).
Supportive/confrming information should be provided at any point during
the trip when the rider may want to be reassured that he or she is progressing
correctly and not getting lost. Repeated information at points throughout the
trip provides this reassurance or confrmation.
32
Designing an User Friendly Transit Information System
By reviewing the literature and observing behaviour of people using the
Information Systems on the railway station, a list of 6 elements was derived.
these elements states that if a new and efective Information system has to
designed for a Railway Station or any other Public Transportation Facility,
following elements are must without which the overall functioning of the
system will get hampered.
Riders learn to use transit information in the same way they learn many
other skills. Te following factors increase the likelihood of their learning
the information:
Rehearsal, in the form of viewing transit maps and other information,
or by simply hearing about transit in the news and other media, re-
moves some of the mystery of how a transit system works.
Simplicity in transit information requires the use of common names
and terms and references to known locations or directions to aid in
orientation.
Consistency must be maintained in information aids names, codes,
and formats must be consistent from sign to sign and from one type of
information aid to another so that the rider encounters no surprises.
Continuity allows the rider to build on initial information with data
that confrm decisions and reiterate next steps in the trip. Tis can be
provided by station signs, on-board route maps, and other information
aids that help the rider progress from one step of the journey to the
next.
Repetition or redundancy (e.g., repeated formats, coding by shape and/or
color, and consistent number/name) will help to reinforce trip and transit
information in the mind of the rider.
Sensory Stimulation allows rider to grab the information positively and
at sub-conscious level.
33
Six necessary elements of an User Friendly Information System
34
TYPES OF TRANSIT INFORMATION AIDS
Transit information can be presented in various ways (e.g., oral instruction,
printed maps, signage at bus stops or on buses, and other oral or written in-
structions). Each type of aid has benefts and drawbacks. Although no single
information aid can meet all of the information needs of transit passengers,
a combination of information types will accommodate diferent learning
styles, diferent levels of transit experience, and diferent stages of a riders
transit trip.
35
Information Aids What Tey Provide
What Tey Dont
Provide
Oral Instruction
(telephone instruc-
tions, bus operator,
other passengers)
St r ai ght f or ward
and personalized
information.
Simplicity for new
riders and those
who have difculty
reading maps.
Instant accessibility
An overall picture
of the transit sys-
tem.
Reference material
for future or con-
tinued travel.
easy error correc-
tion; exp if a rid-
er misses a step in
the process, his her
frame of reference
is lot unless he or
she can converse
further
Maps Birds eye view of
the transit system;
relationship of
landmarks, routes
and connections.
Flexibility for
changing trip plans
and modes during
trip.
Map reading pres-
ents difculties for
many people.
Risk of mismanage-
ment if the physical
map is damaged.
Signs Information at de-
cision points like
terminals, transfer
points, direction
changing, etc.
Supportive Infor-
mation even for a
person who is illit-
erate.
Detailed informa-
tion and explana-
tions.
Portable informa-
tion; no help during
pre-planning or on-
board.
Timetables Portable informa-
tion
Detailed Route in-
formation.
No fexibility to
change in real time
unless it is a digital
version.
Some people face
difculties in read-
ing timetables
36
Learning
Tis document is a compilation of the work done as a part of System Design Project. Te project is to understand existing Information System at the Railway Sta-
tion and its components in order to identify the pain points and scope of improvement and to come up with solutions that can have a substantial impact. Various
methods of qualitative and quantitative research were used in order to come up with meaningful Insights. Visits to places dealing with information fow were
studied during the course of the project. Tis project helped me to step out of mundane ways of doing things. It helped me to understand how various sub systems
interact within the system. Te concept of Systemic, Systematic and System thinking was introduced in the beginning of the project which gave the direction to
think throughout.
Te Core Learning that this course introduced was to unlearn the learnt and look beyond.
37
Bibliography
Tinking in system Donnella H. Meadows
Determinants of Customer Satisfaction on service Quality: A study of Railway Platforms in India. Geetika, Shefali Nandan, Motilal Nehru National Institute
of Technology.
Identify User Profles in Information System with Unknown Users Lars- Erik Axelsson, Dept. Of Information Systems, Karlstad University
Passenger Amenities of Indian Railways Report by Dr. V. Vijay Durga Prasad
What is public Information System Bo Sundgren, Department of Information Technology, Sweden University.
Indian Railways ofcial website - www.indialrailways.gov.in
Railway Vision 2020 Report - Mamta Banerjee
Transit Cooperative Research Program ofcial website - www.trb.org