With the Indian Railways set to launch their very own VSAT hub system, surfing the internet while travelling in trains has inched closer to being a reality.

Developed by the Indian Railway Project Management Unit (IRPMU) under the North Central Railway, the satellite- based VSAT hub system will be inaugurated by Railway Board chairman K C Jena here tomorrow. The system will not only enable Railways to provide voice and data connectivity services in moving trains, but also at remote stations which don’t have fixed and mobile phone networks.

Sources at Rail Bhavan said IRPMU was already in serious discussions with leading satellite-based internet solution providers to commence internet facility in running trains. “As a pilot, we plan to try out the system in one of the trains between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Once the trial succeeds, the facility will be offered in major trains on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis,” said a ministry official, adding that they wanted to eventually extend this system to enable online reservation in running trains, train operations and maintenance activities.

The system is expected to help disaster management too. Officials said that Railways had already planned trackable VSAT terminals in one accident relief train in each of the 67 divisions on their network. “Some of these terminals will provide voice, video and data connectivity within five minutes of reaching the accident sites,” an official added.

Meanwhile, IRPMU is testing the use of remote VSAT terminals for Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS). If the tests succeed, Railways will be able to provide UTS terminals at almost all railway stations across the country.