“Make in India” Smart Trains
The Indian Railways is going to launch ‘Make in India’ smart coaches which will have new features like black box and artificial intelligence (AI) powered CCTVs, matching international standards.
What is “Make in India”?
Make in India is a type of Swadeshi Movement which covers 25 sectors of the economy. It was launched by the Government of India on 25 September 2014 to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India and also increase their investment.
As per the current policy, 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted in all 25 sectors, except for Space (74%), Defence (49%) and News Media (26%).
Smart Trains
Named ‘Smart Trains’, the coaches have been equipped with sensors that can detect defects on bearings, wheels, and the railway track, giving constant inputs to those in the control room to avoid accidents, carry out maintenance, and to improve efficiency of operations.
The maiden smart coach is as part of pilot project of launching 100 such trains to improve the safety and security of commuters, and to boost efficiency.
What is a Black Box?
The black box is being introduced for the first time by Indian Railways. It has a powerful multidimensional communication interface to provide information on passengers and coach condition on real time basis.
The black box will act as a coach control unit with communication interfaces for
- passenger announcements,
- GPS based announcement triggers,
- emergency intercom for commuters,
- digital destination boards,
- train reservation display modules, and
- CCTVs with remote monitoring.
Artificial Intelligent CCTV Cameras
The modern infotainment system has been installed to locate the train in real time. AIpowered CCTVs will help those in the control room to keep a tab on untoward incidents and on the behaviour of on board staff. Commuters will also be able to communicate with Railways officials.
Internet of Things
For wheel, coach and track monitoring, Railways have come up with Internet of things based system.
What is Internet of Things?
The internet of things (IoT) is a computing concept that describes the idea of everyday physical objects being connected to the internet and being able to identify themselves to other devices.
The IoT is significant because an object that can represent itself digitally becomes something greater than the object by itself. No longer does the object relate just to its user, but it is now connected to surrounding objects and database data.
The vibrating energy based sensors will monitor the wheels, bearing and hard spots on the track, and will provide data through GPS/GPRS to the remote server for diagnosis and remedial measures. The Passenger Information and Coach Computing Unit (PICCU), an industrial grade computer, will monitor the coach maintenance and passenger interface.
Wifi hotspot
A WiFi hotspot information system is another innovative feature in these Smart Trains.
Water level Indicator
Smart coaches are also equipped with water level indicator technology to know whether the water in the coach is sufficient and when it needs to be filled. An SMS will be sent to the next watering station when the water level falls below half the coach capacity.
Prepared By: Eswar Sai