Title: OR/AI/ML Applications in Indian Railways
Speaker: Dr. Rajnish Kumar (Brief Bio attached)
Venue: Seminar hall, second floor, IEOR Building.
Day, Date, Time: Tuesday, 20th August 2024, 9:30AM-10:30AM
Abstract: Indian Railways, one of the world's most extensive and complex railway networks, presents a significant opportunity for leveraging advanced Operations Research (OR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. This talk will explore a series of innovative use cases developed and implemented to enhance the operational efficiency, safety, and decision-making processes within the railway system. The presentation will commence with a deep dive into the use cases involving Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) and Constraint Programming (CP). These techniques have been applied to optimize critical operations, including the automated generation of locomotive links, decision support for control offices, and integrated station dispatching with train platform allocation. These examples highlight the transformative potential of OR methodologies in navigating the complexities and dynamic nature of railway operations. The second segment will focus on predictive maintenance, a vital aspect of ensuring the reliability and safety of railway infrastructure. This discussion will cover the development and application of machine learning models for track degradation analysis and failure prediction, demonstrating how these models can proactively identify maintenance needs, minimize downtime, and enhance safety. The final part of the talk will address the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) within railway operations. Innovative text search functionalities, such as price list unification, depot module search, and tender search, will be presented. These use cases illustrate how NLP can significantly streamline information retrieval and decision-making processes across various operational domains within the railway system. In addition to these contributions to Indian Railways, the talk will briefly discuss other pioneering works, such as the ‘Retail Outlet Canopy Illumination’ project, which resulted in substantial monetary savings and earned the prestigious ‘Chairman Award’ and ‘Director Award’ at Indian Oil Corporation Limited. Other works at IOC included use cases such as the Constraint Programming-Based ‘Terminal and Bay Allocation’ Model. The use cases of NLP and CP-Based Decision Support Models, garnered the ‘Best Meritorious Employee Award’ during my first year of deputation at CRIS. Through these diverse projects, the talk will illustrate my contributions in the impactful integration of OR, AI, and ML in transforming traditional railway operations, setting a foundation for a more intelligent, responsive, and efficient railway system.