THE NECESSITY OF MOBILE TRAIN RADIO COMMUNICATION IN INDIA

Joyjit Chatterjee

Abstract: Presently, India has the dubious distinction of recording an exponential number of train accidents as compared to its other developed counterparts. Though, no accident is completely avoidable, what can be done is to develop a certain technologically advanced machinery which can scale down the prospects of such accidents and expedite Disaster Management in case of any mishap. This would help to curtail the damage to life and property. The “Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) “system is a dynamic and technologically avant-garde system based on the “Global System for Mobile Communication-Railways (GSM-R)” technology and it can play an intrinsic role in abbreviating train accidents by aiding effective communication. With the passage of time, India has shown its technological capability to the world, be it through the successful launch of the “Mangalyaan” in the very first attempt, the invention of various machines and electronic gadgets by the Engineers and Scientists across the country, the development of India as a nuclear power and so on. As Dr. D. Swaminadhan said in his speech, “Science and technology have been an integral part of Indian civilization and culture over the past several millennia”. India has the best of resources and technical minds available, through which it can move ahead of its other developed counterparts. As life is very precious, a major requirement of the present is to switch over to the “MTRC” system at the earliest. The railway accidents over the past decade cannot be neglected and the unfortunate events cannot be entirely reasoned as an event occurring out of chance. Trains are merely machines running on railway tracks and they cannot think of how to avoid accidents on their own. As B.F. Skinner rightly said “The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do”. It is up to the human beings to design and use an efficient system which can help the train driver and the station master to know about the possibility of any untoward hazard beforehand by developing effective communication between the concerned officials.

Keywords: Train Communication, MTRC system , GSM-R Technology, Train Accident

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0408057