KASHI CHAK

No.2019/09Mumbai, 13^th September, 2019

WR TO RUN SPECIAL LOCAL TRAIN o­n THE EVE OF

ANGARIKI SANKASHTI CHATURTHI DURING NIGHT OF

16^th /17^th SEPTEMBER, 2019

To facilitate commuters visiting Shree Siddhivinayak temple o­n the eve of Angariki Sankashti Chaturthi,Western Railway will run an additional special local train in the intervening night of 16^th/ 17^th September, 2019 from Churchgate to Virar. The details of the services are as under:

************

Indian Railways signed MoU with RailTel Enterprises Limited (REL), a wholly owned subsidiary company of RailTel Corporation of India ltd, for the work of modernization of signaling system o­n 4 sections, which includes Automatic Train Protection System with Long Term Evolution (LTE) based Mobile Train Radio Communication System (MTRC) together with provision of Electronic Interlocking (indoor) wherever required.

This project of Modern Train control system will be implemented o­n 165 Route Kilometers (RKMs) o­n Renigunta (RU) – Yerraguntla (YA) section o­n South Central Railway, 145 RKMs o­n Vizianagaram (VZM) –Palasa (PSA) section o­n East Coast Railway, 155 RKMs o­n Jhansi (JHS) – Bina (BINA) Section o­n North Central Railway and 175 RKMs o­n Nagpur (NGP) – Badnera (BD) Section o­n Central Railway. These are some of the busiest routes o­n Indian Railway with heavy traffic. Automatic Train Protection System and LTE based MRTC will improve safety, help reduce congestion in these rail networks and increase line capacity, improve punctuality. It will also help to increase average speed of trains.

The Modern Train Control System shall be as per Open Standard, Interoperable with Multi-vendor support. Mobile Train Radio Communication System shall be deployed using LTE backbone for communication between Train Running staff, Drivers, Guards and Control Office. This system will also be used for working of Automatic Train Protection System. Initially, this system will be provided o­n 500 Locomotives.

Speaking about the project, Shri Kashinath, Member (Signal & Telecom), Railway Board, said that there is a need to implement Modern Train Control System to keep pace with modern signaling & communication systems being used all around the world, to ensure Safety of the Passengers and increase Line capacity to match with the challenges of running more trains o­n existing track.

Briefing about the project, Shri Puneet Chawla, CMD/RailTel said that we are already o­n the job and team of REL has already taken inputs, feedback from industry representatives with respect to technology, interfaces, compatibility and interoperability of various sub-systems. Based o­n these inputs from all stakeholders, a blue print for speedy execution of the pilot project is ready for implementation.

The pilot project at estimated cost of Rs. 1609 crores is to be completed in 24 months. Modern Train Control system based o­n LTE based MTRC is o­ne of the most ambitious modernization projects of Indian Railways, which envisages upgradation of signaling system at par with the world standards. o­nce this pilot project is implemented successfully, Indian Railways is proposing to implement the same o­n important high-density routes of the Railway network.

The MoU was signed by Shri Pradeep M Sikdar, Executive Director/Signal Development, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways and Shri A.K. Sablania, Director & CEO, M/s REL in August presence of Shri N Kashinath, Member/S&T, Railway Board and Shri Puneet Chawla, CMD/RailTel.