Soon, an info system to help you get down at right station

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Aug 8, 2009

Chennai: Southern Railway plans to install a GPS-based automated passenger information system on all suburban and express trains originating from Chennai. The system will run as a pilot project and be extended to long-distance trains depending on its success on suburban routes. 

    GPS (global positioning system) will be a great boon for passengers. For instance, it will help them know which station the train is approaching. Monitors will be set up at platforms to display the position of trains and announcements will be made when trains approach stations, said Southern Railway chief public relations officer V J Accamma. All public address systems will be integrated to carry announcements automatically linked to information from GPS system. 

    The decision to introduce GPS was taken following feedback the railways received from passengers when Southern Railway general manager M S Jayanth inspected suburban routes recently. 

    “The railways is also working on a system to allow people to know the location of trains by sending SMSes or email requests. Information likely to be sent will include current speed and expected time of arrival. In addition, people can also view the actual position of trains on a map at stations,” Accamma added. 

    The GPS-based information is also likely to improve punctuality by creating an automated train movement log. Now, movements of trains are recorded manually on registers at railway stations. 

With the Ladies Special trains set to be inaugurated by union home minister P Chidambaram on August 12, Southern Railway has decided to provide better signs in front of such trains to make it easier for passengers to learn that they are meant exclusively for women. For example, the Ladies Special train to Tambaram will display ‘TBM LADY SPL 9’. The display will have high resolution, visibility and clarity.