In a new initiative by Indian Railways, passengers can now soon keep a track of their trains in real time through Global Positioning System (GPS).
The Railways is experimenting with the real-time punctuality monitoring and analysis (RPMA), a GPS-enabled device which will be fitted in locomotives to increase the punctuality of the trains.
Currently, Indian Railways use the manual national train enquiry system (NTES) to track train movement. Switching to the new RPMA system will increase the passenger safety also.
Earlier, Railways has successfully tested the the RPMA in the Mughalsarai division in October. "The system keeps plotting trains on maps and speed charts," said Mughalsarai DRM Kishor Kumar.
Besides, tracking the train movement, the system also provided other crucial details like whether trains ran at maximum speed or if the trains stopped more than necessary and even kept a check on speedometer errors.
Railway minister Piyush Goyal has asked all 16 railway zones in India to adopt the new system.
