ISRO Backs Indian Railways’ Push for Advanced Space-Supported Signalling Systems

Indian Railways’ efforts to modernise signalling and communication systems were strongly endorsed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr. V. Narayanan, who stated that being associated with the Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (Iriset) is considered a “dream opportunity” for engineers worldwide.

His remarks were delivered during the 68th Annual Day celebrations of Iriset, a premier training institute of the Railways known globally for its expertise in signalling and telecommunication technologies.

The annual event was observed on Monday, during which academic awards were presented to toppers of various technical courses conducted in the past year. The institute’s technical magazine, Gyandeep, was also released as part of the programme.

Earlier in the day, a technical workshop on emerging developments in Kavach, cybersecurity, and modern signalling technologies was conducted. Kavach — an indigenous Automatic Train Protection system — has been developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), located in Lucknow, along with the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which supports several rail technology initiatives. Exhibition stalls showcasing current and upcoming signalling and telecommunication systems were also displayed.

In his keynote address, Dr. Narayanan highlighted that rapid advancements in satellite-based communication will soon enable real-time monitoring of all trains operating across the Indian Railways network. It was emphasised that reliable communication plays a critical role in ensuring safe train operations, and ISRO’s satellite technology has already been providing significant support to the Railways.

India’s achievements in space were also mentioned, with Dr. Narayanan noting that India currently “has the best camera on the Moon” and remains the first nation to achieve a soft landing near the lunar south pole through the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He stated that collaboration between ISRO and Indian Railways will be expanded further in the coming years to support new technological initiatives.

The function was attended by several senior officials, including Satish Kumar, Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board; Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, General Manager of South Central Railway; Rajesh Kumar Pandey, Additional Member (Signal); Sailesh Gupta, Additional Member (Telecom); and Sharad Kumar Srivastava, Director General of Iriset.

The event reaffirmed Iriset’s role as a global centre of excellence and underscored the growing cooperation between the Railways and ISRO in adopting advanced, technology-driven safety systems.