Rail Ministry has announced that Indian Railways are going to be much smarter in coming days as many new features are being implements by the government.
Initiatives to be taken by Indian Railways :-
GPS in Trains :-
Indian Rail will be equipped with GPS for live tracking of the trains. As of now, the ‘running status’ of trains is based on the information derived from each passing station on the route.
But from now on, GPS installed in the locomotives will inform us about the position of the train. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been roped in to place GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN) on every locomotive, which will create nation’s first Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS) for trains.
Ai Powered Smart Coaches :-
Artificial Intelligence powered Smart Coaches have been rolled out from Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli, as part of Make in India campaign.
These coaches are powered with AI, which can alert the maintenance staff about the requirements of the coaches. Using AI, Railways can ‘predict’ wheel defects, defects on the bearings, and hard spot (defects) on the track.
Technology to raise Punctuality :-
Soon, station masters would be asked not to record the timings of arrival, as a data logger would be used to record the arrival and departure of trains. Such data loggers would be installed at every interchange, and station, and will be connected with the computer to generate the logs.
As per the Railway Minister, such data loggers will improve punctuality of trains by 75%.
Electrification :-
As per a new plan of action, electrification of trains will be done in a modern way, wherein existing diesel engines will be converted into electric engines, thereby saving $2 billion per year for Indian Railways.
Not only fuel costs will be saved, but also the cost of electrification.
Permanent Speed Restrictions :-
A plan has been announced to place permanent speed restrictions across trains in some routes, to enhance security. Besides all rail bridges will be audited, and a separate budget will be allocated to upgrade them. Smarter time tables will be also announced, soon.
WiFi Across Stations :-
By 2020, 6000 Railway Stations across India will be empowered with WiFi, in partnership with Google and other private players.
The goal is to make Railway Stations a hub of Digital India.
AC Pantry Cars With Induction Cookers :-
Soon, all pantry cars in the trains would be Air-conditioned powered with Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) rakes, and will be equipped with induction cooking system for safe cooking.
As of now, only Rajdhani Express from Mumbai to Delhi is equipped with induction cooking.
