New Delhi, March 12 (IANS). Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told Parliament that Indian Railways is using Artificial Intelligence based inspection systems, drone surveillance and many new technologies to improve safety and efficiency across its network.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, the Railway Minister said that technological improvement in Railways is a continuous process and many new systems have been introduced or are being tested as pilot projects.
He informed that systems like Machine Vision Inspection System (MVIS), Wheel Impact Load Detector (WILD), Online Monitoring of Rolling Stock (OMRS), Integrated Track Monitoring Systems (ITMS) and Overhead Equipment (OHE) are being installed in Railways.
According to the minister, MVIS is an AI and machine learning based system which helps in detecting hanging, loose or missing parts in a running train. Three units of this system have been installed in Northeast Frontier Railway, two in Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited and one in South East Central Railway as a pilot project. Railways has also signed an agreement with DFCCIL, under which four more MVIS units will be installed in the network for goods trains.
The minister said that Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) is also further developing this technology in collaboration with industries. He said the Wheel Impact Load Detector system detects faulty wheels by measuring the impact of the wheels on the track and 24 such systems have been installed across the railway network.
The OMRS system monitors the condition of the train’s bearings and wheels and so far 25 OMRS systems have been installed, including one at Sirpur Kagaznagar under South Central Railway of Secunderabad Division. ITMS system is being used for inspection of railway tracks, which detects defects in rails, sleepers and fastenings with the help of machine learning and image processing.
Apart from this, monitoring of overhead equipment through thermal imaging through drones has been started as a pilot project in Raipur division. RDSO is also developing a system called Tri-Netra, which will have equipment like optical camera, infrared camera and radar or lidar to help loco pilots operate trains in fog or bad weather.
The minister also informed that the government has implemented the new Rail Tech Policy on February 26, so that new technologies and innovations can be rapidly adopted in the Railways.
–IANS
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