Track MRTS trains through SMS

CHENNAI: Tracking the movement of Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) trains in Chennai is set to become hassle free. Soon, commuters will be able to access the position of trains using their mobile phones.According to the Centre For Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the department has launched a trial on six dedicated pairs of MRTS trains between Chennai Beach and Velacherry. The trains have been fitted with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) instruments which will help in their tracking. Unlike the conventional method, the new facility augments real-time monitoring of trains without human intervention. Railway sources said an officer can view the position of a train on a screen, like an air traffic controller tracks the movement of flights. At present, the control room receives information from officers in railways station over hotlines. Thereafter, personnel manning the control room feed the data into a computer and a graph is drawn. The new system will facilitate the automatic graphs.The idea behind the new system is to access the real-time movement of train. At the same time, it would also help the public, as they can know the position of the trains through their cell phones, an official said.