Title - Know your train, it’s simpler now - Hi-tech information system to debut at Dhanbad station soon

Railway passengers will no longer have to jostle for space in long queues in front of enquiry counters as Dhanbad station will soon have a state-of-the-art train information system that will be displayed on as many as six LCD screens placed at vantage points.

The new system will display a host of relevant information like the distance of an arriving train from Dhanbad, position of various coaches on the platform, apart from the arrival and departure timings of trains.

Officials of Dhanbad division of East Central Railway are already at work, trying to develop a software in association with Centre for Railway Information systems (CRIS) that designs, develops, implements and maintains most of information systems of the Indian Railway.

If all goes according to plan, the new system will be in place during April.

Senior divisional commercial manager of the Dhanbad division Dayanand said that the idea behind developing the software was to integrating all information at one point for passenger convenience and minimise manual error while keying in relevant data.

“Various software, like the one for coach positions on platforms and train operations, have been developed separately. But, the new software will integrate the functions of all such software to provide consolidated information,” he said.

Dayanand said the new system would be the first of its kind in East Central Railway.

“The database developed by the railways through computerised charts of train operations is used by various websites, including www.railradar.trainenquiry.com www.railradar.trainenquiry.com, to indicate real-time status of various trains,” he said, adding that the same data would be used in the new system.

Also, unlike train indication boards already in use near the enquiry counters where information is displayed in textual form, the new train indication boards will have pictorial representation of various trains and their coaches.

As of now, two LCD screens have already been installed at the concourse area of Dhanbad station, while two others will be installed near the main entrance of the station. The remaining two will be put up at near the enquiry counter.