Satellite may link rail freight centres

To improve service quality and connect as many as 200 freight operation information service centres in far-flung areas, the Railways may start operating its own V-SAT hub from Delhi by March.

As the reach of the terrestrial network based on the optical fibre route was limited, it was important that remote areas be connected through the satellite, a railway ministry official said.

He added that the hub would have enough spare capacity to be used for the expansion of the computerised public reservation system to remote areas.

Officials said the hub might also be used to provide voice, data and video connectivity from disaster sites to all crisis control centres. At present, the INMARSAT satellite system is generally used for voice linkages from accident sites.

"At present, the railways hire private V-SAT service providers like Hughes Telecom," an official said.

He added that with their own hub, more than savings on user charges, the railways would be able to provide a better quality of services. They, however, would not be able to lease out their services to other consumers as it is against regulations.

The hub is expected to have a capacity to handle up to 400-500 VSAT terminals, for which sufficient bandwidth will be leased on a Ku band satellite transponder through ISRO.

The ministry is in the process of finalising a list of private companies that will supply equipment for setting up the hub. The contract was expected to be worth about Rs 10 crore, officials said.

The company winning the contract would also have to provide spectrum for the first few months on a trial basis, after which the railways would use their own spectrum, the official said.

He added that the tender would have a provision for an annual maintenance contract that would make a company responsible for the repair and upkeep of the equipment which the railways were unable to maintain.

FOIS is an integrated information and management system for controlling and monitoring freight operations. It also involves tracking of freight trains.