New Delhi – In a major step toward enhancing passenger safety, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved the installation of CCTV cameras in all 74,000 train coaches, focusing specifically on common movement areas near coach doors, a senior official confirmed on Sunday.
The move aims to significantly improve onboard security and deter miscreants and organized gangs that often prey on unsuspecting passengers, the official added.
The decision comes after successful trial runs of CCTV systems in locomotives and coaches on the Northern Railway network. Following a review meeting held on Saturday, attended by Vaishnaw, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Railway Board officials, the green light was given to roll out CCTV installations across all coaches and 15,000 locomotives.
According to the plan, each coach will be fitted with four dome-type CCTV cameras — two at each entrance area — to monitor passenger movement. Each locomotive will have six cameras: one each at the front, rear, and on both sides, as well as one dome camera and two desk-mounted microphones in each driving cab.
Vaishnaw instructed railway officials to ensure that the cameras produce high-quality footage, even on trains traveling at speeds above 100 km/h and in low-light conditions.
He also encouraged collaboration with the IndiaAI mission to explore the use of artificial intelligence for analyzing CCTV footage, potentially enabling smarter surveillance and quicker incident response.
The Railways Ministry clarified that while the cameras will monitor shared spaces for safety purposes, passenger privacy will be respected. The primary goal is to help identify and deter criminal activity, enhancing the overall travel experience.
The initiative is part of Indian Railways’ broader modernization efforts aimed at providing a safer, more secure, and passenger-friendly environment for travelers.
With inputs from IANS