MUMBAI: In a major safety initiative, Central Railway (CR) on Sunday upgraded the GPS-based Signal Location Announcement System (SILAS) used in Mumbai suburban EMU trains. Installed on 130 CR suburban trains, the system provides motormen with real-time signal alerts, helping reduce the risk of human error and improving operational safety. A new feature has now been added that automatically informs the motorman about the train’s next scheduled halt.Every suburban service follows a different stopping pattern -slow, semi-fast, fast or superfast. Recently, there were a few incidents in which trains failed to halt at designated stations due to motormen’s errors. The upgraded SILAS is expected to prevent such occurrences, a senior railway official said. “Based on the journey selected by the train manager, the system announces the next halt station 500 metres and 250 metres before arrival,” he said. The upgraded system has undergone trials and will be fixed on all CR local trains over the next two months.Mumbai’s suburban network operates more than 2,300 train services daily under an automatic signalling system. The GPS-based SILAS functions as an onboard electronic assistant for motormen. Using the train’s live location, SILAS announces the number and exact position of the upcoming signal. Alerts are issued at 350 metres and again at 250 metres before the train reaches the signal, giving motormen timely warnings and improved situational awareness.One of the system’s key safety features is activated after a train crosses a yellow signal. SILAS repeatedly announces, “Be careful, next signal is red,” and continues the warning until a green or double-yellow signal is encountered. Railway officials believe this will improve cautionary driving and help prevent Signal Passed At Danger (SPAD) incidents.The system comes preloaded with route-specific data, including GPS coordinates, signal locations and audio recordings. Before beginning a trip, the train manager selects the relevant corridor -such as up or down local and through lines -allowing SILAS to provide accurate announcements throughout the journey.
“Beyond signal alerts, SILAS can analyse driving behaviour by recording speeds at critical points such as yellow signals, platform entries, permanent speed restrictions and neutral sections. This data can be used for counselling and skill improvement,” said an official. The system also enables real-time train tracking and speed monitoring for operational control.With signals often placed just 400-500 metres apart -and located on the left, extreme left, right or extreme right side of the tracks -motormen operate under considerable pressure. In such conditions, even a momentary lapse can have serious consequences. SILAS is designed to minimise that risk, the official said.
