Over 2,700 electric and 3,800 electric locomotives have now been fitted with Real-Time Information System (RTIS) equipment, announced V K Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board, in a press conference yesterday.
RTIS is designed to enable real-time tracking of trains, both freight and passenger. This will improve communication to passengers on the estimated time of arrival and accurate time updates of a train passing through stations.
RTIS uses a combination of the US operated Global Positioning System (GPS) in combination with GAGAN and India’s own navigation system IRNSS. Combined with satellite communication provided by ISRO, RTIS allows all trains to be tracked through a central mechanism.
The system had been installed in 2,600+ locomotives by November 2019. Funds for installation on another 6,000 locomotives were sanctioned, according to a statement by the Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal in Parliament
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown is likely to have affected installation on more units.
