The Bangladesh Railway on Thursday inaugurated train tracking and monitoring system through mobile phones. The system, launched on a trial basis, would display locations and timings of trains on mobile phones instantly via short message service using geographic information system, better known as GIS, said officials. Railways minister Mohammad Mazibul Hoque launched the system at the Rail Bhaban with the support from Malaysia-based Suncrops, under a 10-year agreement signed in April.
Initially Suncrops installed the tracking device on the roofs of 40 locomotives while the GrameenPhone users would receive the information at present.
Suncrops would gradually set up the tracking devices on the rooftops of all 336 trains, officials said.
At the inauguration ceremony, BR additional director general (infrastructure) Amzad Hossian said the railway usually monitored and controlled all trains through telephone communications with station masters.
In the present system it was not possible for railway officials to know about trains’ exact locations and speed between two stations, he said.
He added that through TTMS service passengers would know their desired trains’ locations, time of trains’ departure, next stoppage and schedule of the trains.
BR director general Abu Taher said that the railway was scheduled to inaugurated the system in August 2013 which was delayed by political unrest.
Railways secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad said the system was a part of digital Bangladesh.
The officials also said gradually the system would be available for all mobile phone users.
A survey conducted by Suncrops in 2008 found that 78 per cent of the passengers identified indefinite waiting at platforms as the number one problem facing the country’s railway service.
The TTMS was initially launched in east zone’s 40 trains including Shuborna (Dhaka-Chitagong), Shuborna (Chittagong-Dhaka), Ekota (Dhaka-Dinajpur), Ekota (Dinajpur-Dhaka), Tista (Dhaka-Dewanganj), Tista (Dewanganj-Dhaka), Rangpur Express (Dhaka-Rangpur) and Rangpur Express (Rangpur-Dhaka).
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Suncrops chairman M Amiruzzaman and director Amirul Islam.
BR carries about 2.25 lakh passengers every day from 456 railway stations using 334 trains in its countrywide network, said officials.
Courtesy of New Age
