The Indian Railways has decided to install CCTV cameras for locomotives and suburban trains in Mumbai. A centralised control room will monitor the activities of the motorman captured on the CCTV cameras which will help determine the cause in case of accident during the course of the journey. In view of the black box concept in the aviation industry, the Indian Railways has also decided to install an audio-visual recording system for suburban trains which will help to assess crew performance.
The Western Railways in Mumbai had already installed the technology in 25 of its locomotives, according to a report. To provide a major boost to the safety and security of passengers, especially women and children, Indian Railways and its PSU RailTel have already installed IP-based Video Surveillance System (VSS) at 813 major Railway stations across the country. By March 2022, 756 stations are targeted to be completed by Railways and RailTel. Four types of IP cameras (Dome type, bullet types, Pan Tilt Zoom type and Ultra HD- 4k) are being installed to ensure maximum coverage inside the Railway premises.
The upgrades include:
• The audio and video recording system will be installed in the cabins of motorman and guards with one camera installed inside cabins and one outside. A total of 110 trains will get the new voice and video recording systems.
• Authorities will also track actions taken by the motormen and guard such as operations of trains at speed restrictions, SPAD ( signal passed at danger), railway mishaps.
• After a hiatus of 10 months, the local train services in Mumbai returned to full service for the general public from February 1. The suburban services for the general public are available in three-time slots: from the start of the day’s services to 7 am; 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm; and 9:00 pm to the end of the day.
• On Friday, the Central Railway (CR) said people travelling in Mumbai’s suburban local trains can now watch movies, TV shows and educational programmes for free during their commute with the launch of a new “content on demand” infotainment service.
• As per a release, the Central Railway has joined hands with M/s Margo Network Pvt Ltd to provide this content on demand infotainment service through SugarBox Network’s mobile application. The CR enabled the service in the presence of general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti on 10 out of 165 suburban local trains, it was stated.
• Commuters will have to download the Sugar Box application on their devices, following which they will receive an OTP on entering their mobile number, before accessing the free infotainment content, the release stated. No internet connection will be required and people don’t have to pay any charge for data consumption, the CR said.
• The company has registered the application with 10 suburban locals and will cover the remaining local trains soon, Lahoti said. The service for 165 suburban trains will fetch the CR Rs 8.17 crore in five years, he said.
• The CR has earned Rs 22.57 crore by way of non-fare revenue from April to January 2021-22, which was 295 per cent more than the same period last year, the official said.
• This was a win-win for passengers, the railways and the service provider, the CR’s chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said. The service provider has installed a device in each coach and the work for installing it on other suburban locals was underway.
