GPS-based solution developed to track disaster management trains

The Western Railway (WR) has developed a GPS-based solution to determine the precise location and speed of disaster management trains, a senior official said Friday. The system has been implemented in all Accident Relief Trains (ARTs), Accident Relief Medical Equipment (ARME) and Self Propelled Accident Relief Trains (SPARTs) of the Mumbai division of the WR, he said. "Earlier, it was a challenge to know the actual location of relief trains heading to accident or disaster sites," the official added.

Ravinder Bhakar, chief PRO of WR, said the system provides an automated solution with real-time location of relief trains, speed tracking, their recording and traceability. "Important information that can be derived from this system is speed and location of relief trains on a real-time basis," he said. "The installation of the system is very simple. It uses a mobile charging point provided in the rolling stock (engine or carriage). The mobile-based app is universally accessible and the tracker should be switched on all times," Bhakar said. He said the installation is not only easy but cost-effective, too, with the one-time expense of the equipment coming at just Rs 7,900.