The long-talked-about train tracking system developed by IIT-Kanpur is set to find place across the train network in the country. The project christened Satellite Imaging for Rail Navigation (SIMRAN) — already pilot-tested across 70 trains from Shatabdi and Rajdhani to Garib Rath and Duronto — is learnt to have found favour with the Sam Pitroda-led high-powered panel that is working at revolutionising the railways. Pitroda is learnt to be planning much more than train-tracking systems and is considering ways to employ Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a big way. SIMRAN, say sources, will serve as a standard platform for the rest of the ICT services that can be added on to it.

“SIMRAN is the first software system of the Indian Railways where the source code of the system is available with the Government of India. It will be now possible to create an information layer of the entire transportation network using this system. It is already working successfully across some 70 trains and we hope it will roll out across the railway network soon. A sub-committee has been formed by the Sam Pitroda-led panel to examine SIMRAN in detail before full implementation,” Prof S G Dhande, Director of IIT-Kanpur, said.

A dedicated website providing information on the movement of Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains has already been developed. Apart from uploading train movement information on the Internet, the plan is to make it available on platforms on high-definition coloured LED boards.

SIMRAN promises to create a real-time online database of the exact location, speed and estimated arrival time of all major trains at the click of a mouse, besides allowing a portal for national-level rail traffic management. LCD screens installed within coaches will inform passengers about the distance and the estimated time the train will take to reach a destination. As of now, each train’s movement is tracked manually with each station en route conveying the information to the next station. It is a rail safety project developed by IIT-Kanpur and Railways Research Designs & Standards Organisation, Lucknow, for the ministry to enable rail traffic management, anti-collision mechanisms and mobile train radio communication.

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