The Indian Railways will revamp nearly 2,600 coaches as “smart coaches” with features such as installing a system that can control the temperature inside the coach by sensing ambient temperature and sensors that can alert clogging of toilets and functioning of exhaust fans.
These coaches will also have display systems to keep passengers informed about the speed of the running train, last station and the likely arrival time at the destination. There will be provision for content on demand for entertainment. Sources said these will also get smart CCTV cameras with diagnostics such as face recognition that can be used for identification of passengers and railway attendants as well.
These will also be equipped with video analytics to recognise unwanted gatherings and unscrupulous elements in the coaches. Officials said these coaches will have advanced sensors and smart on-board diagnostic systems, which can monitor the condition of wheels and the condition of the tracks.
“It will generate reports automatically and alert for maintenance. The coaches will have fire alarm and fire detection systems. The predictive maintenance system would help avoid incidents such as derailments,” said an official.
He added this will also reduce the checking time and the maintenance can be planned as soon as the alerts are generated. The railways have estimated Rs 16 lakh expenditure on conversion of each of these coaches.