Indian Railways will invest nearly ₹180 crore as it brings in a set of new Integrated Track Monitoring System (ITMS) vehicles across 17 railway zones. The move is aimed at enhancing passenger safety and operational efficiency of trains in the country.
At present, there are 7 ITMS (including some older versions) and 10 more will be introduced across railway zones. Each car is pegged at ₹18 crore odd.
The ITMS is a system installed on the track recording car (TRC) and can record rail track parameters and monitor the track in the speed range of 20-200 kmph.
ITMS combines various technologies to monitor and measure railway track parameters. These systems come with contactless laser sensors, high-speed cameras, GPS and so on. The technology uses data analytics and an integrating software to collect, analyze and process the data.
ITMS is integrated with the Railways’ TMS (Track management System) so that the report of each track recording run is available on the TMS portal.
‘Will be run across zones’
According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Railways Minister, the ITMS will be available across all railway zones in the country soon.
“ITMS machines were deployed by the Railways a couple of years back and our experience with these has been well. These are high-tech, high-end machines and help us identify railway track issues such as missing clips, gaps between tracks, and so on. It also identifies objects and provides specifications that can interfere with operations of trains. In short, these help in monitoring tracks and ensure better safety in railways,” he said, adding: “There are three new-generation ITMS machines, and soon we will have at least one such new-gen ITMS in all railway zones.”
Vaishnaw along with Satish Kumar, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board, Naveen Gulati, Member (Infrastructure), Railway Board, Ashok Kumar Verma, General Manager, Northern Railway and senior officials from Railway Board, Northern Railway and RDSO inspected the ITMS and the Road. -cum-Rail Inspection Vehicle at the New Delhi railway station on Thursday.
“Track maintenance system will also see an overhaul with the introduction of high-end devices like ITMS. These are some important steps towards modernization of railways,” the Minister said.