🇮🇳 Ministry of Railways | Government of India
Accessibility Initiative

AI-Powered Accessible Public Announcement System

Transforming Railway Announcements into Indian Sign Language (ISL) for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Passengers

63M+ Deaf & HoH Population in India
8,000+ Railway Stations Nationwide
24M+ Daily Railway Passengers
An Initiative Under: Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign)
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Real-Time ISL Translation

AI converts audio announcements to sign language video instantly

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Why This Matters

Millions of passengers are excluded from critical railway announcements every day

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Communication Barrier

Audio-only announcements at railway stations completely exclude Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) passengers from receiving critical travel information.

⚠️ No ISL interpretation available at any station
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Scale of Impact

India has over 63 million people with hearing disabilities – one of the largest DHH populations in the world, with limited accessibility infrastructure.

📊 ~5% of India's population affected
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Safety Concerns

Missing announcements about platform changes, delays, or emergencies can lead to missed trains, confusion, and serious safety risks.

🛡️ Emergency alerts are inaccessible
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Legal & Policy Mandate

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandates accessible public services. Railways must comply with accessibility standards.

📜 RPwD Act 2016 compliance required

"Every announcement that goes unheard is an opportunity for inclusion that's missed."

Current State: Visual displays exist but lack ISL translation – the primary language of India's Deaf community.

Introducing the ISL-PA System

An AI-powered system that converts railway announcements into Indian Sign Language in real-time

What is ISL-PA?

The Indian Sign Language Public Announcement (ISL-PA) system is an innovative AI-powered solution designed to make railway station announcements accessible to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing passengers.

Using advanced speech recognition, natural language processing, and AI avatar technology, the system automatically translates audio announcements into accurate ISL videos displayed on station screens.

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Speech-to-Text Conversion Captures live audio announcements from PA systems
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AI Language Processing Understands context and railway-specific terminology
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ISL Avatar Generation Creates accurate sign language video output
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Multi-Screen Display Broadcasts to displays across the station
How It Works
1
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Audio Input PA system announcement captured
2
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Text Conversion Speech recognized & transcribed
3
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AI Translation Converted to ISL grammar & signs
4
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Avatar Rendering 3D avatar performs ISL signs
5
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Display Output Shown on station screens

Real-Time Performance

The entire translation process happens in under 2 seconds, ensuring passengers receive ISL interpretation simultaneously with the audio announcement.

System Demonstration

Watch how the ISL-PA system transforms audio announcements into accessible sign language

Demo Video Coming Soon

LIVE DEMO New Delhi Railway Station
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ISL Avatar

"ध्यान दें यात्रीगण, ट्रेन नंबर 12952 राजधानी एक्सप्रेस प्लेटफार्म नंबर 5 पर आ रही है..."

Train 12952 Rajdhani Express arriving on Platform 5...

ℹ️ The demonstration video will showcase a complete end-to-end flow of the ISL-PA system at a pilot railway station.

What You'll See in the Demo

  • Live PA announcement capture & processing
  • Real-time speech-to-text conversion
  • AI-powered ISL translation engine
  • 3D avatar performing accurate ISL signs
  • Multi-language support (Hindi, English, Regional)
  • Display integration on station screens

System Architecture

A modular, scalable architecture designed for seamless integration with existing railway infrastructure

1 Input Layer
🔊 PA System Audio Feed
📝 Text Input Manual Entry
🗓️ Schedule API Train Data
2 Processing Layer
🎙️ Speech Recognition ASR Engine
🧠 AI Translation Engine NLP + ISL Grammar
🗃️ ISL Dictionary Sign Database
3 Rendering Layer
🧑‍🦱 3D Avatar Engine Real-time Animation
🎨 Video Compositor Frame Rendering
💬 Subtitle Generator Text Overlay
4 Output Layer
📺 Station Displays LED/LCD Screens
📱 Mobile App Passenger Devices
🌐 Web Portal Online Access
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Cloud-Native

Scalable cloud infrastructure with edge computing for low latency

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API-First

RESTful APIs for seamless integration with railway systems

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Secure

End-to-end encryption with government compliance standards

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Analytics

Real-time monitoring, usage metrics, and performance dashboards

Key Features

Comprehensive features designed for maximum accessibility and operational efficiency

Real-Time Translation

Instant conversion of audio announcements to ISL with less than 2-second latency, ensuring passengers receive timely information.

  • Sub-2 second processing
  • Live audio capture
  • Continuous streaming
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Multi-Language Support

Supports Hindi, English, and major regional languages for comprehensive coverage across India's diverse linguistic landscape.

  • Hindi & English
  • 12+ regional languages
  • Automatic detection
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Railway Terminology

Specialized vocabulary for train names, station codes, platform numbers, and railway-specific announcements.

  • 10,000+ terms
  • Station names
  • Train schedules
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Easy Integration

Seamlessly integrates with existing PA systems and display infrastructure without major hardware changes.

  • Plug & play setup
  • Existing screens
  • Minimal downtime
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Analytics Dashboard

Comprehensive monitoring with usage statistics, performance metrics, and accessibility impact reports.

  • Real-time metrics
  • Usage reports
  • Impact tracking

Transforming Railway Accessibility

Beyond technology, the ISL-PA system represents a fundamental shift towards an inclusive and accessible railway network for all citizens.

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Enhanced Safety

Ensures DHH passengers receive critical safety warnings and emergency announcements in real-time.

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Independence

Empowers Deaf travelers to navigate stations confidently without relying on interpreters or assistance.

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National Inclusion

Bridges the communication gap, integrating the Deaf community into the mainstream public transport ecosystem.

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Government Initiative

Aligned with national accessibility mandates:

  • 📜 RPwD Act 2016
    Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act
  • 🇮🇳 Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan
    Accessible India Campaign
  • 🚆 Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
    Modernizing Station Amenities