For faster and customized automated access to data, through Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) of Indian Railways, which would help Coal India Limited (CIL) monitor movement of coal laden rakes and coal despatch activity, the company on Monday entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), a wing under Ministry of Railways.
The first of its kind data sharing offers CIL a bouquet of benefits that helps it in rationalizing the entire coal supply matrix through rail mode. It provides precise details of loading, weighment and unloading details along with turnaround time of rakes.
Primarily it is a handshake of freight operation information between the networks of CIL and CRIS regarding CIL’s rail movement of coal. It also includes other logistics details.
The information helps minimize the instances of under loading and overloading of rakes and untangle the knots benefitting CIL, Railways and the consumers. Importantly, the resultant relevant information eases the way for faster billing and bill monitoring process replacing the manual entry of railway receipts with instantaneous online transfer.
Another high point is the data sets shared by CRIS provides CIL information on sanctioned coal and rake programmes, rake demand, rake detention and diversion details which helps the coal companies plan their supplies.
