Subj: General Budget 2018 – EXPERT’s VIEWS on Indian Railway Signalling
Dear Sir,
As per news published in BS, an investment plan of Rs. 600 billion to overhaul the age old Signalling of Indian Railway is under consideration in General Budget on 1st Feb 2018. How this will help in improving Capacity & Safety and Decongesting of Indian Railway will be an interesting question which your channel viewers will like to know during Budget discussion ?
In this connection we wish to inform you that our Managing Director Mr. Chandrika Prasad who was Adl Member (Signal) of Indian Railway Board was instrumental in introduction of new Signalling technology on Indian Railways. A copy of his brief profile is enclosed. He will be happy to explain and clarify any question arising on your Channel during Budget presentation /discussion as to how modernisation of Signalling will improve Safety, Capacity & Punctuality and help on Decongesting of Indian Railways.
Earlier Mr. Prasad had participated in Focus TV channel discussion on Railway Budget.
Looking forward to your response.


1. Name of Personnel : CHANDRIKA PRASAD
2. Proposed Position: : Expert (Signal & Telecom) Railway & Metro
3. Nationality : Indian
4. Educational Qualifications : B Sc Engineering (Electrical) with
Distinction, Univ of Ranchi, (1963) India
5. Membership of Professional Societies :

• Honorary Fellow, Institution of Railway Signal Engineers UK
• Member, American Railway Engineering & Maintenance Association, USA
• Fellow, Institution of Railway Signal and Telecommunication Engineers INDIA
• Fellow, Institution of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineers INDIA
• Member, Institute of Rail Transport INDIA
• Member, Computer Society of INDIA
• Member, Institute of Urban Transport, INDIA

6. Member of Committees

• _ Former Member High Level Committee of Ministry of Indian Railways for optimization of cost of Dedicated Freight Corridor of India (2012)
• _ Former Member General Rule Review Committee of Ministry of Indian Railways (2004)
• _ Former Member SKY Rail Committee of Ministry of Urban Developments, India (2003-5)

7 Member Study Circle

– Member Railway Study Circle of “Indian National Academy of Engineering “New Delhi
- Member Study Circle “Rail watch “, Kolkata

8 . Awards /Recognitions
For his outstanding contribution in the field of Signalling & Telecomm. Mr Prasad has been awarded “Honorary Fellow” by Institution of Railway Signal Engineers London, and “Life Time Contribution Award” by Institution of Railway Signal & Telecommunication Engineer, India. He has received ‘Academic Industry Interface Award’ by AMITY Business School, India
9. Employment Record
2003 - :Managing Director & Principal Consultant / PNCS Consultancy Services, India
2001-03 : Member ETCS Task Force of UIC (International Union of Railways) Paris
2001-03 : Principle Consultant (S&T) Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi
1996-01 : Addl Member (Signal) Indian Railways Board, Ministry of Railways, India
1995-96 : Chief Signal & Telecom Engineer / Northern / N. F. Railways
1993-95 : Chief Signal Engineer /Northern Railway
1991-93 : Divisional Railway Manager Hyderabad Division / Indian Railways
1985-90 : Chief S&T Engineer (construction) Northern Rly / NE Rly
1979-84 : Sr. Expert (S&T& Elec.)/ New Railway Implementation Authority Govt of Iraq
1978-79 Dy Chief S&T Engineer (con) /Northern Railway
1973-78 : Dy / Joint Director (Signal) Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, India
1969-73 : Senior Signal & Telecom Engineer (MTP) Calcutta Metro, India,
1968-69 : Senior Signal & Telecom Engineer (con) Dhanbad Eastern Railway
1966-68 : Asstt. Signal & Telecom Engineer (con)/ RRI /Howrah/ Eastern Railway
1964-66 : Asstt Signal & Telecom Engineer (Probationer) Eastern Railway,
1963-64 :Asstt Professor ( Elect ) Bihar Institute of Technology, Sindri, India

10. KEY EXPERIENCES:

Mr. Prasad has over 4 decades of experience in Strategic Planning & Policy formulation, Feasibility Study, Consultancy, Detailed Design, Technical Specification, Project Execution and Maintenance of Modern Signalling & Telecom systems for Railways & Metros in India and abroad.
He has successfully carried out consultancy assignments of Feasibility Study / Technological Up gradation / Detailed Design, preparation of System Specification & cost estimation etc for Signalling & Telecommunication systems on Iraqi Railway, Jordan Railway Corporation, Transnet Freight Rail South Africa and for Railway projects in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom.
He has worked with Japan International Consultants for Transportation on Feasibility Study of Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project and with INECO Spain for Howrah Haldia High Speed Rail project
As Principal Consultant (S&T) of Delhi Metro, he provided consultancy in system design, installation, testing and commissioning of state of the art signaling & telecom systems i.e. ATO, CATC, SSI, AFTC, TETRA for 2 minutes headway services for (cost 100 million Euro) Delhi Metro. He was associated in Independent Safety Assessment done by Arthur De Little UK for Signaling & Train Control system installed by Alstom on lines no 1&2 of Delhi Metro. Has done extensive study of CBTC technology worldwide .A copy of his paper “CBTC Signalling for Indian Metros “ presented at IRSE & IRSTE International Convention & published is enclosed

As Sr. Signal & Telecom Engineer with Kolkata Metro he carried out Feasibility study and prepared DPR for Signalling & Telecom systems for Tollygunj-Dumdum line of Kolkata metro.

As Additional Member (Signal) of Indian Railways Board,
 Mr. Prasad made detailed study of modern Signalling & Telecom systems on world Railways, identified and introduced the most suitable & state of the art S&T technologies of SSI, ETCS ,GSMR , Digital Axle Counter; SMPS power system, AFTC, LED Signals, CMS on Indian Railways. For acceptance of these new technologies he introduced the ‘Principle of Cross Acceptance” for Signalling & Telecom systems on Indian Railways.

 He studied & accorded approval for introducing CATC/ATO, ATS, SSI, Mobile Train Radio communication for Line no1 & 2 of Delhi Metro which became bench mark of metro signalling & telecom in India.

 He headed a multi disciplinary team and made techno economic studies of various Automatic Train Control systems in use / under development in world railways and recommended adoption of radio based ATC system for Indian Railways. Based on his report, Indian Railways sanctioned radio based ETCS level 2 pilot projects on 82 kms section of Mathura - Palwal section of Central Railway. He was instrumental in obtaining 10 spot frequencies in 900 M Hz GSMR band from Wireless Authorities of India for the ETCS Level 2 system.

 He was instrumental in getting approval of Project of Modernisation of Signaling & Telecom systems consisting of SSI ,Automatic Block Signalling, CTC, GSM Radio Communication system on Ghaziabad –Kanpur section under KFW Loan of Rs 5000 millions He was associated with the formation of Railtel Corporation of India –a PSU under Ministry of Indian Railways to use the right of way and other telecom resources of Indian Railways for revenue generation .

As Chief Signal & Telecom Engineer (Projects) on Indian Railways he carried out design, installation, testing and commissioning of a Computer based Remote Control & Train Describer System (of GEC GS UK) for Delhi Area. His project experience includes designing, installation and commissioning of several modern signalling projects, viz. Route Relay Interlocking at Nizamudin, Lucknow, Howrah, and Automatic Reversible Signalling on Shahibabad - Ghaziabad section on Indian Railways.
As Managing Director of PNCS
Mr Prasad has successfully led his team in carrying out signalling design of SSI, Panel Interlocking, Automatic Signalling, RRI projects of Indian Railway, PMC of railway projects in India and Myanmar, Feasibility Study of Running of 15 Car trains on Mumbai Suburban section and preparation of DPR for a number of railway projects. He worked on Feasibility Study of Howrah – Haldia High Speed Rail Project as Indian Signalling & Telecom Expert for consortium of Ineco, Prointec, Ayesha Spain and LASA India.
He has worked with JICA Team as Indian Railways counter part for study of Modernization of Signalling & Telecom systems on Delhi – Kanpur section of Indian Railways. He was Project Director for indigenous development of Electronic Interlocking at Barar Square.
11. He has presented several papers at UIC, AREMA, IRSTE & I. Rly, INAE Conferences in India and abroad.. Over 35 of his Papers have been published/presented in UIC, IRJ, RGI, IRSTE, IRT journals. & Rail Business .

Delhi 21 Jan 18 Chandrika Prasad
Former Adl Member Signal Railway Board