WorldSpace to greet railway passengers

Shatabdi and Rajdhani passengers may soon be treated to the sounds of satellite radio station WorldSpace. According to railway ministry sources, an initial round of talks with WorldSpace radio has already happened and a trial run could begin on select Shatabdis and Rajdhanis soon.

WorldSpace Radio owns and operates its own satellites and provides radio content in Asia and Africa. In India, it broadcasts over 100 channels with more than 40 being in Indian languages.

The move is line with the railway ministry's efforts to compete with low-cost airlines. "The satellite radio service, coupled with ticket upgrade schemes, will make travelling in Shatabdi or Rajdhani a better proposition for middle-class consumers," a railway ministry source said.

Confirming the development, WorldSpace radio Managing Director Shishir Lall told Business Standard: "Yes, we will be exploring opportunities with various delivery mechanisms to provide the good content we have at WorldSpace. Having said that, being a Nasdaq-listed company, we are bound by laws that permit us to disclose such details only after disclosure with Nasdaq. Hence, we are unable to comment."

According to experts, WorldSpace can install its receivers on Shatabdis and Rajdhanis without much expenses. "The electrical wiring of Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains can easily allow WorldSpace to install its receivers without extra expenditure. And as there are no long tunnels or other obstacles on most routes for Shatabdi, installing WorldSpace will be an easy task," an expert said.

Incidentally, there are no laws or guidelines governing satellite radio except the programme code of All India Radio. Because of which, WorldSpace has been looking to install its radio sets in cars, a move strongly opposed by all private FM radio firms.