The Long Term Evolution for Railways (LTE-R), the next generation Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) system planned to cater to the voice/traffic data needs of the Indian Railways, will also be deployed to ensure passenger safety.
The Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), the R&D arm of the railways, has been tasked with designing a uniform, cost-effective and integrated system to roll out LTE-R over 30,000-route kms of the rail network.
According to sources in the railways, LTE-R was also considered for the Mission Critical Passenger Safety Services & Applications, Video Surveillance System through closed circuit television cameras in trains and the Passenger Information System and Internet of Things (IoT) on rolling stocks and fixed assets.
The railways have roped in institutions such as the IITs in Chennai, Roorkee and Kharagpur and the University of Mumbai for the mission to use advanced technology, including MTRC and Artificial Intelligence, to predict failures in the signalling assets and enhance the reliability of the signalling system.
Cost-cutting
In an advisory to all Zonal Railways, the Railway Board has called for cutting costs on housekeeping activities on trains and at stations. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the operation of only a few trains is expected to continue for some more time. “All possible measures should be taken for reduction/control of expenditure on housekeeping on trains and stations in the current financial year. Railways should critically review contracts and operate at appropriate level as per requirement,” the advisory said.
In an earlier order, the Railway Board wanted the Zonal Railways to review the cleaning contracts in view of the pandemic and even suggested that they look for sponsorship with suitable branding of trains/stations and use the Corporate Social Responsibility funds for cleaning as a measure to save expenditure.
