REAL TIME TRAIN INFORMATION SYSTEM PROJECT – GOVERNANCE
News: Railways
ties up with ISRO for train tracking
What's in the news?
● Indian
Railways ties up with ISRO for real-time train tracking and satellite imagery
will be deployed under the Real Time Train Information System project to run
trains efficiently.
About the project:
● ISRO
has developed its own regional navigation satellite system called Navigation
with Indian Constellation (NavIC) and
Bhuvan, a web-based utility which allows users to explore a set of
map-based content being deployed for tracking.
● Railways
has taken bandwidth from ISRO and
integrated our systems with NavIC and Bhuvan.
● Every locomotive is
fitted with a device and SIM, which communicates the
train’s real position to the satellite and feedback is received.
● The
movement is updated every three seconds.
● Until
now, 4,000 locomotives have been installed with the technology, and new
locomotives that are being manufactured come pre-installed with the tracking
devices.
Significance:
● Real
time tracking of trains is also useful during accidents, floods and landslides,
when there is a need to pin down the train’s exact location for rendering help.
● Train
Control can now track the location and speed of RTIS-enabled locomotives/trains
more closely, without the need for manual intervention.
● It
allows passengers to get the real-time location or train running status of a
train on their smartphone.
Use of latest technology in Indian railways:
● Quantum technology:
Communication flows from point A to point B but when it is encrypted or jumbled
up through quantum key, it is increasingly complex to be hacked into.
● Data analytics:
The Railways is tapping data analytics to improve passenger experience, help
chart out empty seats, and enable more passengers to receive confirmed tickets.
● Artificial intelligence:
The CRIS has identified 90 use cases where AI can be used for improving Railways
services, including seat allocation, prediction analysis on when freight trains
will be emptied, and balancing stocks of medicines across the Railways health
infrastructure.
● The
CRIS has now developed a hand-held device that can help reduce queues by providing tickets on platforms to unreserved
passengers.