Railway, IIT Bombay Sign MoU to Develop AI-Driven Tool for Railway Yard Congestion Analysis
Mumbai/Hyderabad, 5th August 2026: South Central Railway (SCR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) to develop analytical frameworks and software tools to assess railway junction and yard capacity, congestion and train movements.
The MoU, signed on August 5, 2026, will formalise the collaboration between SCR and IIT Bombay on a pilot project aimed at analysing large volumes of signalling data and converting raw data logger information into usable insights on train movements, detentions and yard operations.
The project is expected to support railway officials in identifying operational bottlenecks, studying train detention patterns and assessing the impact of different yard configurations and signalling arrangements on train movements.
Pilot project to analyse signalling data
Under the MoU, IIT Bombay will develop a futuristic software tool capable of processing data generated by railway data loggers.
The tool will reconstruct train movements from signalling records and generate visual representations of different types of railway operations, including:
– Through train movements
– Crossings
– Shunting operations
– Train detentions
– Complex movement patterns within yards
The analytical system will use data and inputs such as yard diagrams, speeds over points, train lengths, acceleration characteristics, interlocking information and historical data logger records.
Visualisation and scenario simulation tools will also be developed to assess operational conditions, including the impact of increasing train movements within an existing yard configuration and evaluating alternative yard layouts.
Two-year work leads to formal collaboration
The IIT Bombay team has been working on the yard and junction capacity analysis problem for around two years using railway operational and signalling data.
The MoU formalises the partnership and provides for implementation of the pilot project in phases.
The initial phase will cover data validation, movement analysis, visualisation tools and development of safety and efficiency metrics.
Based on the results of the pilot, the collaboration may subsequently be expanded to larger station layouts, enhanced analytics dashboards and eventual integration with railway signalling systems for real-time movement analysis and operational support.
Focus on yard capacity and operational efficiency
The framework is intended to help analyse junction and yard capacity and congestion by using actual operational and signalling data. The system will allow different operating scenarios and yard configurations to be studied through simulation.
The analysis will also help officials examine how changes in yard remodelling and interlocking arrangements affect train movements and detention patterns.
SCR General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava said the collaboration with IIT Bombay would help address operational challenges arising from increasing rail traffic and limited scope for infrastructure expansion in congested areas.
He said careful analysis and engineering assessment are required for infrastructure investments and that simulation-based analysis could help assess the interaction between different operational factors.
The MoU signing was attended by senior SCR officials, including Principal Chief Engineer D. Anjaneyulu Reddy and Secunderabad Divisional Railway Manager R. Gopalakrishnan. Professor Milind Sohoni of IIT Bombay and members of his team participated through video conference.
The collaboration will initially focus on the pilot project, with further expansion to be considered based on its outcomes.
