Home / Current Issue / Paper 1719698
Operations Control Centers for Freight, High‑Speed, and Metro Rail in India: A Comparative Study of DFCCIL, NHSRCL, and Ahmedabad Metro
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Railway Signaling
DOI: 10.64388/IREV10I1-1719698
Abstract
In this study, three OCC types are compared across different railway systems, focusing on their system design, control methods, subsystem integration, and operational performance. It uses official project documents related to the railway standards (EN 50126/28/29, IEC 61508, IEC 62290) and OEM material. The DFCCIL Operation Control centres serve as logistics-centric command nodes, integrating inputs from Train Management Systems (TMS), the Dedicated Freight Information System (DFIS), and a real-time monitoring architecture. These integrated subsystems are programmed to accommodate heavy freight traffic loads of 25-32.5 Tonnes with an operational speed of 100 km/h. In contrast, the proposed OCC of NHSRCL in Sabarmati should be driven by Shinkansen technology (as in Japan), with European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signalling and SIL 4 safety protocols to ensure safety at high speeds of 320km/h. Ahmedabad Metro’s OCC is a CATC/CBTC-based control room focused on passenger trains, with a 90-second headway. The paper compares current OCCs based on various parameters, as tabulated, such as throughput, latency, availability, and safety integrity levels. This comparison is based on published corridor capacities and ETCS/CBTC design references. The paper concludes with lessons for OCC design, cyber-physical integration, and RAMS engineering across freight, high-speed, and metro areas.
Keywords
Operations Control Center (OCC), DFCCIL, NHSRCL, GMRCL, Train Communication
References
[1] Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd., Public Information Brochure, DFCCIL, New Delhi, India, Feb. 2012. https://dfccil.com/upload/Public_Information_B rochure_-_Feb2012.pdf
[2] Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd., Corporate Plan (Revised 01.12.2020), DFCCIL, New Delhi, India, 2020. https://dfccil.com/images/uploads/img/Revised_ 01122020_corporate- plan_9LSK_JMUV_5577.pdf
[3] Ministry of Railways, Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Project – Project Brochure, Railway Board, New Delhi, India. https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uplo ads/directorate/infra/downloads/dfc_project.pdf
[4] Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India, Objective of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, Ministry of Railways, New Delhi, India. https://forestsclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/Add info/0_0_31121124312231ObjectiveoftheWeste rnDedicatedFreightCorridor.pdf
[5] UNESCAP, Dedicated Freight Information System (DFIS) – Concept and Architecture, UNESCAP Rail Transport Division, Bangkok, Thailand. https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/ev ent-documents/DFIS.pdf
[6] JICA, Attachment I.1.2 – DFC Western Corridor, Preparatory Survey for Dedicated Freight Corridor (Phase 2) (II), JICA, Tokyo, Japan, Mar. 2012. https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12067773_0 3.pdf
[7] A. P. Agarwal et al., Dedicated Freight Corridor: Current Challenges, Transportation Research Procedia (WCTR), IIM Bangalore, 2016. https://www.iimb.ac.in/sites/default/files/inline- files/Transportation%20Research%20Procedia_ WCTR.pdf
[8] Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd., Annual Report (English), DFCCIL, New Delhi, India https://dfccil.com/upload/AR- FINAL_English.pdf
[9] Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd., DFC Journal – September 2019 Issue, DFCCIL, New Delhi, India. https://dfccil.com/upload/DFC_Journal_issue_s ep_19.pdf
[10] National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., MAHSR Project Operational Plans, NHSRCL, New Delhi, India. https://www.nhsrcl.in/en/project/mahsr-project- operational-planss
[11] National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., Joint Feasibility Study for Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail – Volume 3 (Technical Details), NHSRCL, New Delhi, India. https://www.nhsrcl.in/sites/default/files/technica l-details/2019-07/EI_CR15137_Vol-3.pdf
[12] National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., Project Overview of High-Speed Rail Corridor – MAHSR, NHSRCL, New Delhi, India. http://www.nhsrcl.in/en/project/project- overview
[13] National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., Feasibility Study Report for MAHSR – Volume I, NHSRCL, New Delhi, India, 2019. https://www.nhsrcl.in/en/project/feasibility- study-report
[14] P. Mishra, Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project (MAHSR), IHRA -HSR, 2021. https://www.ihra- hsr.org/cms_assets/en_activities_20210625_Pra shantMishra.pdf
[15] JICA, Project for the Construction of Mumbai– Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, JICA, Tokyo, Japan, 2025. Available: https://www.jica.go.jp/english/our_work/social_ environmental/id/asia/south/india/c8h0vm00009 v1ylc.html
[16] National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd., 6th Annual Report, NHSRCL, New Delhi, India, 2022–23. https://www.scribd.com/document/637103519/ NHSRCL-6th-Annual-Report-eng-30-01-2023- 1
[17] Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project – Phase I Detailed Project Report, GMRC, Gandhinagar, India, Feb. 2014. https://www.gujaratmetrorail.com/wp- content/uploads/DPR/Ahmedabad-Phase-I_- DPR_OLD_2014PDF_opt.pdf
[18] Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board, DPR for Ahmedabad Metro – Executive Summary, GIDB, Gandhinagar, India. https://www.gidb.org/pdf/3_Executive_Summar y.pdf
[19] Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project – Phase II DPR (Mar 2019), GMRC, Gandhinagar, India. https://www.gujaratmetrorail.com/wp- content/uploads/DPR/Phase-II-DPR_Mar- 19_opt.pdf
[20] Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Reports & Downloads – ESIA/DPR Documents, GMRC, Gandhinagar, India. https://www.gujaratmetrorail.com/reports/
[21] Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., 15th Annual Report 2024–25, GMRC, Gandhinagar, India. https://www.gujaratmetrorail.com/wp- content/uploads/2026/05/Annual-Report-for- FY-2024-2025.pdf
[22] Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project DPR, Revised Ahmedabad Metro DPR – Salient Features and Train Operation Plan, 2015. https://www.scribd.com/document/344827713/ Revised-Ahmedabad-Metro-DPR-Compiled- 20th-May-2015-pdf
[23] RDSO / CAMTECH, An Introductory Handbook on Centralized Traffic Control (CTC), RDSO, Lucknow, India. https://rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/An% 20Introductory%20handbook%20on%20Central ized%20Traffic%20Control.pdf
[24] CAMTECH, Introductory Handbook on Communications Based Train Control (CBTC), CAMTECH, Gwalior, India, 2021. https://rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/I ntroductory%20Handbook%20on%20CBTC.pd f
[25] Indian Railways, Signal and Telecom Publications – CBTC Handbook Index, RDSO, Lucknow, India. https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uplo ads/directorate/eff_res/camtech/S&T%20Engine ering/YearWise/3_An%20Introductory%20Han dbook%20on%20CBTC_April%202021.pdf
[26] CENELEC, EN 50129: Railway Applications – Safety-related Electronic Systems for Signalling, 2003. https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/clc/42 c2dcf7-c764-45af-b4a7-a015ecfff75d/en-50129- 2003
[27] CENELEC, EN 50126 / EN 50128 / EN 50129 – Railway Applications RAMS Overview, European Standards, 2025. https://european- standards.com/top-european-standards/n-50126- en-50128-en-50129-railway-applications/
[28] IZP Institute, EN 50126 Railway RAMS Standard: Specification, Verification and Management, IZP, 2024. https://www.izp.de/en- 50126-specification-demonstration-rams- reliability-availability-maintainability-safety- case/
[29] IEC / Perforce, What Is IEC 61508? Determining Safety Integrity Levels (SILs), 2019. https://www.perforce.com/blog/qac/what-iec- 61508-safety-integrity-levels-sils
[30] Emerson Automation Solutions, Safety Integrity Level (SIL) – IEC 61508/61511, white paper. https://www.emerson.com/documents/automatio n/technical-white-paper-safety-integrity-level- sil-en-71898.pdf
[31] IEC / CENELEC, EN IEC 62290-3: Urban Guided Transport Management and Command/Control Systems – Part 3: Functional Requirements for ATS, 2025. https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/clc/0b 1e67f6-4147-4399-998f-b791bc1071e7/en-iec- 62290-3-2025
[32] ERA, Safety Requirements for the Technical Interoperability of ETCS (Subset-091), European Union Agency for Railways, latest version. https://www.era.europa.eu/system/files/2023- 01/sos3_index027_-_subset-091_v360.pdf
[33] Terada et al., Digital Automatic Train Control System for the Shinkansen Lines of East Japan Railway Company, Computers in Railways IV, WIT Press, 2002. https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/paper s/CR02/CR02009FU.pdf
[34] S. Kawamura et al., A Review of the Japanese Train Control Systems, International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2017. https://www.ijeas.org/download_data/IJEAS100 2006.pdf
[35] TechScience Press, Real Time Control System for Metro Railways Using PLC & SCADA, Int. J. of Innovative Computing, Information and Control, vol. 35, no. 2, 2022. https://www.techscience.com/iasc/v35n2/48891
[36] ACM / Springer, PLC and SCADA-based Real Time Monitoring and Train Control, journal article, 2022. https://dl.acm.org/ 10109-1
[37] M. Patnaik et al., Railway SCADA Monitoring and Control, International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET), vol. 11, no. 9, 2024. https://www.irjet.net/archives/V11/i9/IRJET- V11I9100.pdf
[38] J. Li et al., Developing CBTC System Safety Requirement Hierarchy, IEEE Access / PMC, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1115 4601/
How to cite this paper
@article{1719698,
author = {Aarnav Agarwal, Vishnuprasad Mannadiar},
title = {Operations Control Centers for Freight, High‑Speed, and Metro Rail in India: A Comparative Study of DFCCIL, NHSRCL, and Ahmedabad Metro},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {1937-1949},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719698.pdf},
abstract = {In this study, three OCC types are compared across different railway systems, focusing on their system design, control methods, subsystem integration, and operational performance. It uses official project documents related to the railway standards (EN 50126/28/29, IEC 61508, IEC 62290) and OEM material. The DFCCIL Operation Control centres serve as logistics-centric command nodes, integrating inputs from Train Management Systems (TMS), the Dedicated Freight Information System (DFIS), and a real-time monitoring architecture. These integrated subsystems are programmed to accommodate heavy freight traffic loads of 25-32.5 Tonnes with an operational speed of 100 km/h. In contrast, the proposed OCC of NHSRCL in Sabarmati should be driven by Shinkansen technology (as in Japan), with European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signalling and SIL 4 safety protocols to ensure safety at high speeds of 320km/h. Ahmedabad Metro’s OCC is a CATC/CBTC-based control room focused on passenger trains, with a 90-second headway. The paper compares current OCCs based on various parameters, as tabulated, such as throughput, latency, availability, and safety integrity levels. This comparison is based on published corridor capacities and ETCS/CBTC design references. The paper concludes with lessons for OCC design, cyber-physical integration, and RAMS engineering across freight, high-speed, and metro areas.},
keywords = {Operations Control Center (OCC), DFCCIL, NHSRCL, GMRCL, Train Communication},
month = {July},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719698}
}