Who is the shunting railway dispatcher and what are his responsibilities

The railway is a large organism with many locations, paths and positions. Have you thought about where the formation of trains from individual wagons occurs and who manages this? In this article, you can get acquainted with the principles of organizing work at marshalling yards and find out who the person who controls everything that happens is.

What is a sorting station

The essence of the sorting stations is that there is a sorting of cars depending on such parameters as:

• types of cargo;
• who is the sender and receiver;
• which direction is chosen.

In order to be able to carry out all the work, the station has slides (vary in power), exhaust paths and sorting parks.

What is the advantage for Russian railways of having sorting stations? The train (through) train formed there calmly bypasses a large number of station points on the way to a specific destination, significantly increasing the speed of cargo transportation. In addition, this maneuver helps to reduce freight traffic in terms of their cost.

Organization of shunting at the station

For the ongoing work, comprehensive shunting teams are organized. This means that in addition to the main representatives of such a brigade (locomotive driver and train designer), this includes workers in the technical field.

Such an indicator as the speed with which the dissolution of cars at marshalling yards depends on the power of the braking means. In accordance with this, it is adjusted. It is also important what the condition of the train is in technical terms, the characteristics of track development and the presence of favorable weather conditions. If you correctly set the speed for such a process, this will be a significant indicator in increasing the level of safety in the integrated team.

All shunting operations take place no further than the designated boundaries of the station. To carry them out, you need permission.

The specifics of the shunting controller

All these complex operations associated with the organization of the process of formation and distribution of compositions are carried out under the direction of one person. So, who is a shunting railroad dispatcher? This is a specialist who controls the movement of maneuvering trains, is engaged in sending the shunting brigade to various access roads for the purpose of cleaning or feeding wagons. He also distributes tasks between the performers of this difficult matter, the train compilers.

The dispatcher concentrates all kinds of data related to the operation of the station: information about arriving trains, planned couplings and connections, technical and commercial marriage, etc. The shunting supervisor himself is subordinate to the train dispatcher, who is engaged in the management of the movement of trains on the section not with one, but with several stations.

Requirements for appointment

To get this job, you need to meet not only your internal qualities, but also meet the official selection criteria. This includes the presence of a higher (specialist) or secondary (professional) education. In the first case, work experience of over a year in the organization for the operation of railway transport is required. In the second - experience in a similar place for at least 3 years.

There are also special conditions in order to obtain admission to this work:

• It is required to undergo training related to labor protection, industrial and fire safety.
• It is necessary to undergo a medical examination (primary, regular and unscheduled if necessary).

Knowledge and skills needed in the work of the shunting station manager

Since one person manages a large number of people and staffs, then he must possess a considerable amount of knowledge and skills. Here are the most important ones from the long list:

• Knowledge of the set of loading rules, as well as the conditions for its implementation.
• Possession of the rules for the use of railways in technical terms.
• Having an idea of ​​what the plan of necessary measures for stopping and eliminating the consequences of accidents looks like.
• Possession of instructions related to the movement of trains and shunting;
• The ability to correctly assess the effectiveness of the implementation of transport communications, which occurs between shops and production sites.

Key responsibilities of the dispatcher

The shunting manager has many responsibilities, since control and regulation are required in several directions at once:

1. Analysis and evaluation of the work performed by staff.
2. Carrying out cargo planning.
3. Drawing up effective schemes directly shunting.
4. Creating a clear list of work that needs to be done to disband and form the composition.
5. Maintaining the necessary internal documentation.
6. Development of measures related to strict adherence to the wagon supply and cleaning schedule.
7. Preparation and conduct of work related to the transfer of wagons from the freight fleet of an industrial organization.

Conclusion

In the operation of the marshalling yard, the shunting dispatcher plays a very important role. He forms the general mood of the team, is responsible for the productivity of the entire shift, controls the time and movement of his subordinates. It is also very important that the dispatcher creates the right mood for work: if there are dissatisfied or insufficiently motivated employees, coordinated actions will not work. And this is a key link in the chain leading to the achievement of a harmoniously and productively functioning system.

It is necessary that the person holding this position be an expert in his field. He must know the station perfectly, be able and necessary skills in order to help solve the problem in any area at the right time. And this knowledge should be not only theoretical, but also be supported by practice. After all, the best bosses are those who started from the bottom and went all the way up the career ladder. To plan and control the work, it is not enough just to read the instructions - you need to know the essence of the matter from the inside.

In addition to technical skills, a shunting dispatcher must be able to find the right approach to working with his team and senior management: if there is no well-coordinated communication and understanding between people, then the work of the entire sorting center will not be clear and competent. As a result, the final result will not be satisfactory. Therefore, one cannot fail to note the great importance of the person working in this position, his role in organizing and controlling the entire marshalling yard.