The Indian Railways today unveiled its state-of-the-art coach manufactured at the Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli, equipped with modern sensors and centralised computer to monitor the status of all sensors through a single window, a statement from the ministry said.

The coach has vibration-based self-power harvesting sensor on the axle box which will predict the defects on the bearings, wheel defects and hard spot (defects) on the track. It will enable the railways to plan their maintenance on exactly need basis and will also eliminate line failures, it said.

The central processing unit, known as 'PICCU' (Passenger Information and Coach Computing Unit), an industrial grade computer has been provided with GSM network and will primarily monitor the important area of coach maintenance and passenger interface.

The passenger information system will inform the passengers about the current location of the train and the next station and also expected time of arrival at the next station. This system can also show the speed of the train, the statement said.

CCTV with artificial intelligence capability will enhance the security of the passengers and also monitor of the behaviour and activities of on-board railway staff.

"The footage will also help in investigation into any untoward incident during the journey and identifying the culprits and in direct intervention from remote control centre," the ministry said.

The coach is also provided with the emergency talk back system for communication between the passengers (especially woman and child) and the guard of the train so that necessary assistance can be provided.

It also has Wi-fi hot spot information system. An additional cost of all systems/all equipment will be approximately Rs 12-14 lakhs which can be recovered in a year or so, the ministry said.

A pilot project is being launched to turn out minimum 100 more smart coaches to gain experience and validate, the railway statement said.