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L.N. Revathy

Here's an exhilarating experience of an eWorld team member on her recent trip to Malaysia. The business of train travel is more profitable thanks to technology.

IT was a thrilling experience, moving from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the domestic terminus. Unlike in India, where one would have to take a cab or seek the airport bus service to move from the domestic to International terminus or vice versa, at Kuala Lumpur, the fully automated electric train is the mode of transport for passengers moving from one terminus to the other.

We had just 45 minutes to take the connecting flight to Langkawi Islands, where the Cisco Technologies Asia Pacific Media Conference was being held. After a quick look at the flight schedule chart, we rushed to take the train and proceed to the domestic terminus.

A smokeless, fully automated train with just two bogies swept past and ground to a halt. Passengers got off, while we jumped in. The doors swung shut and we zoomed past the city to the terminus.

Even before we realised and could take in the interiors of the jumbo service, we had reached the domestic terminus. Incidentally, the service was controlled and operated from elsewhere.

Looking back, we realised that in India, the transport service was still largely dependent on the human element. "Traffic congestion and environmental pollution are scary in your country," a fellow German passenger said.

He then started talking about the rail transport system in Germany. "There are 5,600 train stations in Germany and each is like a small world; has its own history. It might sound charming, but the problem is, with all kinds of different technologies to run the place, the system had an inefficient, decentralised process management. The passenger information systems basically consist of displays and loud speakers. There is video surveillance for safety, security and cleanliness of the station. All facilities — from the central heating system to the elevators — need to be maintained and controlled. In the event of an emergency or an accident, the response would have to be speeded up. It would mean making telephone calls, re-routing of trains and passing on the information to all the passengers. All these processes still include a high degree of manual operations. This is not only old-fashioned but time consuming and costly," he said. We had reached the domestic air terminus by then and parted ways.

I reached the gate to take the onward flight to Langkawi and was told that the flight departure was delayed by 30 minutes. I realised that the situation — the delay — was not very different from what was happening in our own land. But the clean environment and the train service was an unforgettable experience.

At Langkawi, the Director (Advanced Technologies) of Cisco Systems — Christian Hentschel, who happens to be a German said that Cisco had developed a fully IT enabled solution for the train station in his home country. "We have a central and integrated infrastructure for all kinds of data — whether voice, video or document; a network enabled passenger information management system for safety, security, facility management and even business per employee services apart from eLearning. If a train were late or left from a different platform, information would be made available to all passengers without delay. A sophisticated video surveillance using IT and a system with highest priority for monitors and control systems has been installed," he explained.

"The advantages are clear — the operation expenses has slid considerably and the system is flexible and capable of growing with future requirements," Christian said.

Cisco has integrated and automated the processes, apart from using small intelligence resource processes of employees.

The train system has recorded an increase in employee productivity, more security, customer satisfaction due to faster reaction and information, he said and pointed out that Cisco would be able to offer services such as wireless Internet connection in business travel lounges.

All the 5,600 stations were not covered yet, but a roll out of the plan was on the cards, he said.

Back home, it is satisfying to note that our train system is also automating its customer services. But we have a long way to go!

lnr@thehindu.co.in

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