Indian railways to start tracking 30,000 wagons using GPS: Report

The officials said that theft of goods has been a long-standing concern of the Indian Railways and the "missing wagons" also lead to disputes with the companies

Indian railways will reportedly initiate Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking for 30,000 wagons to prevent pilferages under its Wagon GPS Project. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has invited expressions of interest for participating in a knowledge gathering exercise on the freight wagons, a report in the Economic Times (ET) said.

Officials said that theft of goods has been a long-standing concern of the railways. The "missing wagons" also lead to disputes with the companies. Also, there have been instances when the return of goods trains that cross Indian borders has been delayed. 

This is one of the many initiatives Indian Railways has undertaken recently, focussing on efficiency. 

Earlier in December, President Droupadi Murmu said that Indian Railways should also adopt the latest digital technologies and explore new avenues to add advanced features for safer, time-saving, more convenient and high-quality transportation services.

"You need to attend to the needs of differently-abled persons, women and the elderly and provide them with a safe and convenient travel experience. Indian Railways has to play a key role in bridging the gaps and realising the dream of an inclusive Atmanirbhar Bharat," she said.

Murmu said that today with India moving ahead at national and global levels, the country is witnessing a greater movement of people and goods.

"This is going to increase in the future. Therefore, Indian railways should also adopt the latest digital technologies and explore new avenues to add advanced features for safer, time-saving, more convenient and high-quality transportation services," she said. 

(With agency inputs)