Hughes, a provider of satellite broadband services and managed network services said it has bagged the contract to set up the first dedicated VSAT hub for the Indian Railways under which it will offer applications like Disaster Communication System, Accident Relief Train (ART), Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) and Freight Operating Information System (FOIS).

This VSAT hub will enable the Indian railways to stay connected with 1000 locations across 19 states and offer voice and data connectivity applications at remote stations, said Hughes. Further the VSAT terminals installed for disaster management will fasten up the communication process at accident sites, taking about 15-20 minutes, claims the company.

As per the contract the VSAT terminals will be installed in one Accident Relief Train (ART) for each of the 67 divisions in the Indian Railways. Besides this, the Indian Railways is also planning to bring internet access on moving trains.

Commenting on the contract, K Krishna, AVP Marketing, Hughes India, said “We have been working with the Indian Railways for the last two years by supporting them to run their FOIS applications on the hired hub.”