16th Dec 2019 New technological era begins for Indian Railways with deployment of Phase 1 of Next Gen of RTIS – ‘Shri Suresh Angadi – Hon’ble Minister of State for Railways’

Indian Railways has deployed over 2600 Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) terminals deployed on locomotives under Phase I of Real Time Train Information System (RTIS)

RTIS is the first of its kind Satellite based train tracking system to track Indian locomotives on real time basis by linking it to ISRO satellites
Network efficiency, punctuality and data generation to improve operations of Indian Railways
Bangalore – Monday, December 16, 2019: The Hon’ble Minister of State for Railways, Shri Suresh Angadi today said that the Indian Railways will be well served by the deployment of 2600 MSS Terminals designed and developed by wireless communication and semiconductor solutions company Saankhya Labs in partnership with ISRO and Bharat Electronics Ltd. Shri Angadi said this while visiting the office Saankhya Labs, accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Railways.

Shri Angadi was referring to the Real-time Train Information System (RTIS) project that is being executed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) in collaboration with ISRO. As part of the Phase I implementation of RTIS, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) commissioned the RTIS network deploying over 2600 MSS terminals on locomotives of Indian Railways. Saankhya Labs is the Satcom Technology partner for BEL in the RTIS project. The RTIS is primarily used for acquisition of train movement data, including that of arrival, departure and run-through timings at the stations enroute. The trains hauled by RTIS enabled locomotives gets tracked and plotted automatically in the Control Office Application (COA) at Central Control office.

Saankhya Labs supplied the Satcom modems and hub-side equipment for RTIS project. The end-to-end solution was indigenously designed, developed and manufactured in India, all powered by Saankhya’s award-winning patented Software Defined Radio (SDR) chipsets.
Highlighting the development, the Hon’ble Minister of State for Railways, Shri Suresh Angadi said, “I am delighted to see cutting-edge indigenous technology being deployed in the service of the nation. This is a very important initiative by the Indian Railways in partnership with ISRO, BEL, and Saankhya Labs. The benefits of this will be far-reaching and help the railways improve upon its operational efficiency include timings and safety. The system generates huge volumes of data in real time that will further help streamline operations of the Indian Railways.” He further added, “I congratulate Saankhya Labs on achieving this important milestone and encourage them to continue their contribution in nation building. The Ministry of Railways is committed to supporting PM Modi’s vision of making India self-reliant in technology and the RTIS project is a shining example of Made in India.”

Parag Naik, Co-founder and CEO of Saankhya Labs said “Saankhya Labs is honoured, the Hon’ble Minister of State for railways Shri.Suresh Angadi visited us today. Saankhya Labs would also like to thank Indian Railways, CRIS, ISRO and BEL for providing us an excellent opportunity to deploy our Satcom solution. Over 8 billion passengers commute on Indian railways annually and RTIS is bound to have a profound impact on the efficient running of the network. We are glad to be part of it. Saankhya Labs looks forward to bringing unique technology and solutions enabling ongoing transformation of Indian Railways, all powered by indigenous technology”.

On-going benefits of RTIS to the Indian Railways
Railway controllers are now able to track, monitor and regulate traffic in the entire network more efficiently, with real-time information at hand. The system reduces dependency on station masters and enables two-way communication between controllers and loco pilots ensuring efficient track movement.

The real-time location data and speed of trains improves overall efficiency of the network. Controllers can view real time train movements and prevent potential disasters such as collisions thereby enhancing overall Rail safety. During an emergency, knowing the exact location of the train enables speedy response by rescue teams, saving precious lives.

Punctuality is another benefit of the system. Unscheduled stoppages between stations are identified and problems are rectified faster. Controllers now regulate the speed of the trains based on track traffic, leading to reduction in train delays.
The system provides railway authorities with large amounts of data. At present it generates more than 14 million daily updates on train locations, which helps the railways to develop better modules for train operations. It also helps to regulate traffic when increased number of trains, especially during the festive season.

The RTIS is integrated with New Train Enquiry System (NTES). The Commuters are benefitted as they get accurate information regarding the arrival/departure and delays of the trains.

Saankhya Labs is the technology partner of Space Applications Centre, ISRO and has designed and developed a variety of indigenous Satcom solutions including Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) terminals and hub-side equipment for RTIS
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) won the contract with Saankhya Labs as its Satcom technology partner for RTIS project
The hon’ble minister was particularly impressed to see the wide range of transformative solutions from Saankhya Labs ranging from SDR chipsets to 5G Broadcast, Broadband and Convergence. He hailed the RTIS project to be pathbreaking and complimented Saankhya Labs for offering its Satcom technology, products and support in operationalizing the Phase I of RTIS project.