26 June,2011 07:28 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
Commuters on the Central Railway, which according to a rough estimate is about 37 lakh passengers everyday, will have to wait a little while longer to find out how late their trains are running.
The train management system (TMS), the software that allows authorities to monitor trains and their movements, and subsequently inform commuters about the status of the trains, is yet to take off. The system was installed on the Western Railway in 2004.
While the system was supposed to have been installed between the CST and Kalyan station stretch by March 2011, according to sources in CR, the system will not be installed before August end. CR conducted a pilot project by placing TMS indicators between CST and Kurla railway stations in December 2010. However, according to VA Malegaonkar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway, the system will be installed between CST and Kalyan stations by the end of this month.
The delay in implementing the system is being attributed to the ongoing work of constructing the 5th and 6th railway lines between Kurla and Vidyavihar stations and linking the new lines with the system. "The delay is being caused by the pending work involving the construction of the fifth and sixth lines," said an official requesting anonymity.
The system will help authorities know the exact location of every train, predict its expected time of arrival at a station and report problems about trains directly to the control room.
According to Malegaonkar, "Work on the system between CST to Kurla was started from April 16 and CST to Kalyan will be done by July end. We are trying to finish constructing the fifth and sixth lines."
What is train management system?
The train management system is a software that allows railway authorities to monitor trains and their movements, and subsequently inform commuters about the status of the trains.
The system was installed on the Western Railway in 2004. It is reported to have made a major difference in the Western Railway system's train management.
According to officials, the new system will install countdown timers, minute-to-minute updates, multi-lingual announcements, and ensure that information related to the next two incoming trains at every platform is provided.
