Mumbai: WR fixes its AC local train fleet efficiently with 80/20 rule

The principles of a 19th century Italian polymath were put to use by the WR

The principles of a 19th century Italian polymath, Wilfried Fritz Pareto, have been put to use by the Western Railway to fix its fleet of AC local trains by drawing up a Reliability Action Plan (RAP).

The Pareto principle, also known as 80/20 rule, states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the "vital few").

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Pareto also contributed to the fields of sociology and mathematics. The Pareto principle is the basis for the Pareto chart, one of the key tools used in total quality control and Six Sigma techniques. Incidentally, Pareto's first job was with the state-owned Italian Railways.

"Based on the Pareto principle, the failures of the AC train fleet were plotted in descending order and execution of the RAP was started from failures having most significant impact on reliability and services. It is pertinent to mention that the results were remarkable and a significant reduction in line failures were witnessed leading to a marked improvement in commuter satisfaction," Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said.

"Developing a robust RAP involves post root cause analysis, along with a clear understanding of the challenges ahead with a multi - dimensional approach aimed at addressing each identified issue systematically and permanently," he said.

"Currently, Western Railway is running 96 AC local services with seven trains. For an efficient upkeep & maintenance of these AC trains and to tackle this issue head-on, a RAP has been devised by the team of local train carshed at Mumbai Central, Kandivali and Virar to address the failures in Air-conditioned rakes. Through rigorous testing and data analysis of all AC local trains, key factors contributing to the failures were identified. After critical analysis of the failures, they were classified into different heads and subheads. Some of the major concerns which were addressed were pertaining to Roof Mounted Package Unit (RMPU), traction motors, automatic door closure) and the trains electrics and equipment from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Due to such diligent analysis, strategic planning and collaborative effort, the failures in AC rakes have significantly reduced," he said.