New Projects by Indian Railway
Indian Railway announced various new projects and here we are giving Updates of New Projects by Railway.
Hyperloop Technology
Indian Railways joined hands with IIT Madras for the development of Hyperloop technology & for the first time Railways transported passenger buses.
Mobile Train Radio Communication System in Indian Railways
Indian Railways has introduced Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) system over Indian Railways (IR announced via press release on 24.03.2021). The aim and objective for implementing MTRC are to establish direct voice communication between Loco Pilot, Station Master, Controller and also to use it for Modern Train Control System. The system has been provided over 3460 Route KM. Details of MTRC provided are appended as under:-
Status of Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) System based on GSM-R and TETRA over Indian Railways
| ZonalRAILWAY | Section | TECHNOLOGY | ROUTE KM |
| Eastern | Howrah-Dhanbad | GSM(R) | 270 |
| East Central | Dhanbad-Mughalsarai | GSM(R) | 400 |
| North Central | Palwal -Jhansi | GSM(R) | 353 |
| North Central | Ghaziabad-Aligarh-Kanpur- ALD-DDU | GSM(R) | 760 |
| Northern | New Delhi-Ambala-Ludhiana Including New Delhi – Palwal and Delhi area | GSM(R) | 372 |
| Northern | Ludhiana-Pathankot-Jammu Tawi-Amritsar | GSM(R) | 455 |
| Northern | Lucknow – Kanpur | GSM(R) | 75 |
| Northeast Frontier | New Jalpaiguri – Bongaigaon-Guwahati | GSM(R) | 410 |
| Northeast Frontier | New Jalpaiguri-Barsoi-Malda Town & Barasoi-Katihar | GSM(R) | 270 |
| Metro Railway, Kolkata | North-South Coridor – Kabi Subhas to Dakshineswar | GSM(R) | 28 |
| Metro Railway Kolkata | East-West Corridor- Phoolbagan to Sector-V | TETRA | 7.5 |
| Western | Churchgate – Virar | TETRA | 60 |
| TOTAL | 3460.5 |
GSM(R) = Global System for Mobile Communication-Railway.
TETRA = Terrestrial Trunk Radio
Further, new works for Long Term Evolution based MTRC System over 34304 Route KM have been approved at a cost of ₹ 6861 crore. Details are appended as under:-
List of sanctioned LTE works over Indian Railways.
| SN | Zonal Railway | Name of the Umbrella Work | Route KM | |
| 1 | Central | Umbrella work for provision of LTE based mobile Train Radio equipment at GD/GQ Section of CR @ ₹ 20 lakh per Km on 1854 RKm | 1854 | |
| 2 | Central | Central Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 3 | Central | Under Modern Signalling work | 175 | |
| 4 | Eastern | Eastern Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 5 | Northern | Northern Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 6 | North Eastern | North Eastern Railway-Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 7 | Northeast Frontier | Northeast Frontier Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 8 | Southern | Southern Railway-Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 9 | South Central | South Central Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 10 | South Central | Umbrella work for provision of LTE based mobile Train Radio equipment at GQ/GDSection of SCR @ ₹ 20 lakh per Km on 1549 RKm. | 1549 | |
| 11 | Under Modern Signalling work | 165 | ||
| 12 | South Eastern | South Eastern Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 13 | South Eastern | Umbrella work for provision of LTE based mobile Train Radio equipment at GQ/GD Section of SER @ ₹ 20 lakh per Km on 692 RKm. | 692 | |
| 14 | Western | Western Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 15 | East Central | East Central Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 16 | East Coast | Umbrella work for provision of LTE based mobile Train Radio equipment at GQ/GD Section of ECoR, NCR and SR @ ₹ 20 lakh per Km on 894 RKm. | 894 | |
| 17 | East Coast | East Coast Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 18 | Under Modern Signalling work | 142 | ||
| 19 | North Central | North Central Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 20 | Under Modern Signalling work | 153 | ||
| 21 | North Western | North Western Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 22 | South East Central | Umbrella work for provision of LTE based mobile Train Radio equipment at GQ/GD Section of SECR and WCR @ ₹ 20 lakh per Km on 831 RKm. | 831 | |
| 23 | South East Central | South East Central Railway-Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 24 | South Western | South Western Railway- Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| 25 | West Central | West Central Railway-Umbrella works for provision of LTE System on low density Railway Network in connection with TCAS @ ₹ 20 Lakh per Km on 1563 Km | 1563 | |
| Total Route KM | 31463 | |||
| 26 | Under Mission raftaar | |||
| i | NDLS-HWH (ER 243, ECR 420, NCR 752, NR-39) | 1454 | ||
| ii | NDLS-Mumbai (NR-58, NCR-83, WCR-549 , WR-697) | 1387 | ||
| Total | 34304 | |||
The total amount for MTRC allocated till Financial Year 2020-21 is ₹ 232.54 crore which has been fully utilized.
Other steps are taken to develop state-of-the-art and high tech method of monitoring, inspection, and maintenance of rail tracks to avoid train accidents are as under:-
Periodical inspection and monitoring of tracks are done by contactless sensor-based Track Recording Cars (TRCs). Inspection of the track is also performed by Zonal Railways using Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS).
Besides this, the Automatic Track Geometry-cum-Video Inspection System, Self-Propelled Turn-out Geometry Measurement System, and Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) are also in the procurement stage for further strengthening the monitoring and inspection of rail tracks.
Indian Railways is using state-of-the-art track maintenance machines like High Output Rail Grinding Machine, High Output Ballast Cleaning Machine. High Output Integrated 3X-Dynamic Tamper etc for maintenance of the rail tracks.
Improvements in Alumino Thermic welding – Mechanised preheating, Three-piece prefabricated mould, Auto Tapping Thimble, Single-shot crucible has been provided for improved quality of welding.
Improvement in Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) Testing Machines – Analogue USFD testing machines have been replaced by digital USFD testing machines capable of data logging, saving, and transferring testing results to on-line application Track Management System (TMS) and PCs. USFD testing machines have been introduced having features for location tagging, time-stamping of recording and improved scan (B-scan) capability. Self-propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing (SPURT) Cars have been introduced on Indian Railways for faster ultrasonic testing of rails.
Introduction of Thick Web Switches & Weldable CMS Crossing (WCMSC) – Thick web Switches & Weldable CMS Crossings have been introduced in Indian Railways. This will help in better Track maintenance and safety.
Prime Minister dedicates the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu to the Nation Inaugurates New Rail Lines and Electrification Projects in Bihar for the benefit of passengers
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu to the Nation and inaugurated new Rail Lines and Electrification Projects in Bihar for the benefit of passengers through video conference. Railway announced via press release on 18.09.2020.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said a new history has been created in the field of rail connectivity in Bihar. He said projects worth about Rs 3000 crore like the inauguration of Kosi Mahasetu and Kiul Bridge, electrification projects, promotion of Make in India in Railways and a dozen of new job-creating projects are launched today. These projects will not only strengthen Bihar’s rail network but also strengthen West Bengal and Eastern India’s rail connectivity.
Apart from Kosi Rail Mahasetu Bridge, the Prime Minister also inaugurated other rail projects related to passenger facilities for the benefit of the Bihar State. These include
- New Electric Locomotive Shed at Barauni
- A new railway bridge on the Kiul River,
- 5 Electrification projects: Muzaffarpur – Sitamarhi, Katihar–New Jalpaiguri, Samastipur-Darbhanga-Jaynagar, Samastipur-Khagaria, Bhagalpur- Shivnarayanpur Sections.
- Karnauti- Bakhtiyarpur link bypass and 3rd line between Barh-Bakhiyarpur
- The new bridge on River Kiul and Electric Interlocking
Along with the dedication of the Mahasetu, the Prime Minister also flagged off the Supaul- Raghopura DEMU train from the Supaul Station. Once the regular train service begins, this would prove to be highly beneficial to the Supaul, Arariya and Saharsa districts. It would also make it easy for long-distance travel to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai for the people of the region.
Indian Railways Signs MoU with RailTel for implementation of Modern Train Control System Project -Renigunta-Yerraguntla section of SCR on the identified corridors
Indian Railways signed MoU with RailTel Enterprises Limited (REL), a wholly owned subsidiary company of RailTel Corporation of India ltd, for the work of modernization of signaling system on 4 sections, which includes Automatic Train Protection System with Long Term Evolution (LTE) based Mobile Train Radio Communication System (MTRC) together with provision of Electronic Interlocking (indoor) wherever required.
This project of Modern Train control system will be implemented on 165 Route Kilometers (RKMs) on Renigunta (RU) – Yerraguntla (YA) section on South Central Railway, 145 RKMs on Vizianagaram (VZM) –Palasa (PSA) section on East Coast Railway, 155 RKMs on Jhansi (JHS) – Bina (BINA) Section on North Central Railway and 175 RKMs on Nagpur (NGP) – Badnera (BD) Section on Central Railway. These are some of the busiest routes on Indian Railway with heavy traffic. Automatic Train Protection System and LTE based MRTC will improve safety, help reduce congestion in these rail networks and increase line capacity, improve punctuality. It will also help to increase average speed of trains.
The Modern Train Control System shall be as per Open Standard, Interoperable with Multi-vendor support. Mobile Train Radio Communication System shall be deployed using LTE backbone for communication between Train Running staff, Drivers, Guards and Control Office. This system will also be used for working of Automatic Train Protection System. Initially, this system will be provided on 500 Locomotives.
Speaking about the project, Shri Kashinath, Member (Signal and Telecom), Railway Board, said that there is a need to implement Modern Train Control System to keep pace with modern signaling and communication systems being used all around the world, to ensure Safety of the Passengers and increase Line capacity to match with the challenges of running more trains on existing track.
Briefing about the project, Shri Puneet Chawla, CMD/RailTel said that we are already on the job and team of REL has already taken inputs, feedback from industry representatives with respect to technology, interfaces, compatibility and interoperability of various sub-systems. Based on these inputs from all stakeholders, a blue print for speedy execution of the pilot project is ready for implementation.
The pilot project at estimated cost of Rs. 1609 crores is to be completed in 24 months. Modern Train Control system based on LTE based MTRC is one of the most ambitious modernization projects of Indian Railways, which envisages upgradation of signaling system at par with the world standards. once this pilot project is implemented successfully, Indian Railways is proposing to implement the same on important high-density routes of the Railway network.
The MoU was signed by Shri Pradeep M Sikdar, Executive Director/Signal Development, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways and Shri A.K. Sablania, Director and CEO, M/s REL in August presence of Shri N Kashinath, Member/S and T, Railway Board and Shri Puneet Chawla, CMD/RailTel.
Memorandum of Understanding between India and Russia in the field of Railways
Indian Railway announced on a press release that (On: 12 JUN 2019) Cabinet approves signing of Memorandum of Understanding between India and Russia in the field of Railways
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding on the cooperation between Research Designs and Standards Organisation, under the Ministry of Railways, India and Railway Research Institute, Russia and Research and Design Institute for Information Technology, Signalling and Telecommunication on Railway Transport, Russia.
The MoU will facilitate exchange of information, expert meetings, seminars, technical visits and implementation of jointly agreed cooperation projects.
The MoU was signed in April, 2019.
Memorandum of Understanding between India and Bolivia in the field of Railways
Indian Railway announced on a press release that (On: 12 JUN 2019 8:14PM by PIB Delhi) Cabinet approves signing of Memorandum of Understanding between India and Bolivia in the field of Railways
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding on the cooperation between India and Bolivia on cooperation regarding Bioceanic Railway Integration Corridor Project.
The MoU will facilitate exchange of information, expert meetings, seminars, technical visits and implementation of jointly agreed cooperation projects.
Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) enters into Tripartite Agreement with French National Railways (SNCF) and AFD, a French Agency
Indian Railway announced through a Press release (on 11 JUN 2019 10:41AM by PIB Delhi) that Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) entered an Tripartite Agreement with French Railways (SNCF) and AFD, a French Agency on 10th June, 2019. On this occasion, Shri Suresh Angadi, Minister of State of Railways and H. E. Mr. Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Government of France, H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India and senior officers were present from both side.
Under this agreement, AFD a French agency, has agreed to provide in-kind grant financing up to 7,00,000 EURO, through French National Railways (SNCF)-Hubs and Connexions as a Technical Partner to IRSDC to support the Railway Station Development Program in India. This will impose no financial liability on IRSDC or Indian Railways.
Speaking on this occasion, Shri Suresh Angadi, Minister of State said, “India and France have a strong and long standing prosperous partnership in the Railway sector. French Railways (SNCF) in the past has been associated with Indian Railways in conducting speed upgradation study for Delhi-Chandigarh section and station development of Ludhiana and Ambala stations. I am sure that this effort will go a long way in further strengthening Indo-French cooperation and will help Indian Railways in positioning its stations to world class standards.”
