Faced with criticism over poor punctuality of MMTS trains, the South Central Railway (SCR) has launched a GPS/GPRS-enabled passenger information system in all MMTS trains. Under this initiative, around 215 high-definition LED monitors are installed on 69 platforms in 26 MMTS stations in the capital.
This system provides information on real-time basis to passengers on the platforms about the operations and location of the MMTS trains. SCR operates 121 MMTS trains in the capital, and over 1.5 lakh people commute in these trains daily. However, there has been an increase in the number of complaints about poor punctuality of MMTS trains.
As giving information about the arrival of MMTS trains and their locations at the enquiry counters can be taxing, the SCR officials came up with the idea of installing GPS/GPRS equipped passenger information system in the trains. A Global Positioning System-based receptor module is fixed in each motorcar of all MMTS trains.
This device encrypts processes and transmits information about train number, route and current location, etc. to a main server using GPRS. An external main server receives and analyses this encrypted data, decrypts and sends out information to local servers installed at stations.
The local server at a particular station feeds the relevant information to the display monitors positioned on the platforms. These monitors display current location of the three MMTS trains on the run and that are to arrive at a particular station in either direction in three languages Telugu, Hindi and English.
The auto announcement for MMTS trains is given twice between the intervals of five and two minutes before the arrival of the train, explained SCR spokesperson.
