Giving a boost to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission, the Government of India (GoI) has approved the allotment of 5 MHz Spectrum in 700 MHz frequency band to Indian Railways for public safety and security services at stations and in trains.
With this spectrum, Indian Railways has envisaged to provide LTE (Long Term Evolution) based Mobile Train Radio Communication on its route.
The estimated investment in the project is more than Rs. 25,000 Crore. The project will be completed in the next 5 years.
In addition to this, Indian Railways has approved TCAS (Train Collision Avoidance System), an indigenously developed ATP (Automatic Train Protection) System.
This will help in avoiding train collisions thereby reducing accidents and ensuring passenger safety.
It brings a strategic shift in Railways’ operations and maintenance regime. It will also help in improving the safety and increasing the line capacity to accommodate more trains using the existing infrastructure.
The modern rail network will result in reduced transportation costs and higher efficiency. Also, it will attract multinational industries to set up manufacturing units to fulfill the ‘Make in India’ mission and generate employment.
Taking to Twitter, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar informed –
“To make travelling in Railway more secure, Modi government has decided to provide 4G spectrum to railways. It will improve its communication system & make rail travel safer. Rs 25000 Cr will be spent for signal modernization and 5G spectrum implementation.”
To make travelling in Railway more secure, Modi government has decided to provide 4G spectrum to railways. It will improve its communication system & make rail travel safer. Rs 25000 Cr will be spent for signal modernization and 5G spectrum implementation.#CabinetDecisions pic.twitter.com/fgsVqmIy4q
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) June 9, 2021
The purpose of the LTE for Indian Railways is to provide secure and reliable voice, video, and data communication services for operational, safety, and security applications.
It will be used for modern signaling and train protection systems and ensure seamless communication between loco pilots and guards. It will also enable the Internet of Things (IoT) based remote asset monitoring especially of coaches, wagons & locos, and live video feed of CCTV cameras in the train coaches to ensure efficient, safer, and faster train operations.
#Cabinet approves allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz band to #IndianRailways for public safety and security services at stations and in trains: Union Minister @PrakashJavdekar#CabinetDecisions
Details: https://t.co/Od0z9YTIE6 pic.twitter.com/Lw5a6hOjvf
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 9, 2021
The Spectrum charges may be levied based on a formula basis as prescribed by the Department of Telecommunications for Royalty Charges and License Fee for Captive use as recommended by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
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