Hitachi: Making rail travel safe, punctual

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems (Hitachi Rail STS) recently completed 25 years of association with the Indian Railways and provided innovative technologies to improve the services and safety of freight and passenger trains that criss-cross the length and breadth of the country.

The Japanese company has been instrumental in introducing computer- based interlocking and auto block signalling, which has helped the Railways improve its capacity, throughput and punctuality of freight and passenger train operations. It had introduced the above signalling technology in the Ghaziabad-Mughal Sarai section in the Uttar Pradesh state in 2002.

Hitachi Rail STS was also the first to deliver ETCS level 1 (train protection warning system) in northern and southern India. This technology is now powering the country’s fastest train Gatimaan Express, which operates between New Delhi and Agra.

It has also introduced a world-class signalling system at Kharagpur, Asia’s largest station, and a vital junction that caters to the rail traffic in India’s eastern region.

Hitachi Rail STS has also been instrumental in helping the Indian Railways accommodate more trains in the yards, reduce traffic congestion and improve punctuality, and bring down running time.

Other major projects include, metro project in Noida, India’s first monorail in Mumbai and is currently executing projects related to Kolkata Metro and Navi Mumbai Metro rail projects.

At a function to mark this milestone in Bengaluru, Hitachi Rail STS Director and Head Dr Manoj Kumar K said the company is committed towards providing comfortable and environment- friendly transport solutions to accelerate ‘smart mobility’ in India. State IT & BT Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan was the chief guest.