Western Railway’s new mobile radio safety system to go live in 2 months

Currently, there is no mechanism available for broadcasting any message to WR’s 35 lakh passengers who use it daily

In order to make its trains run on time and improve its public announcement system, Western Railway (WR) is installing a new mobile train radio communication (MTRC) system that is expected to go live in two months.

A Western Railway train in Mumbai. (HT FILE)

“MRTC is already in progress and will be completed by March 2019,” said Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer of WR. The radio system will allow the railway controller to make announcements onboard locals besides directly communicating with crew members.

Currently, there is no mechanism available for broadcasting any message to WR’s 35 lakh passengers who use it daily, especially in case of major disruptions. This causes passengers to jump off trains and walk on tracks to the next station, thus risking their lives.

The project is expected to get a boost from the ₹20,000 crore allocated for Indian Railways’ safety funds during the interim budget on Friday.

WR has already undertaken a project worth ₹10.05 crore for upgrading the existing Train Management System (TMS), which is being used for managing suburban train operation since 2003.