Implementation of Kavach is progressing rapidly on routes of 3,000 km: Railway Ministry
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
A day after the collision of two trains in West Bengal, the Railway Ministry on Tuesday said the implementation of the Automatic Train Protection System, also known as Kavach, is continuing rapidly on 3,000 route kilometers. accidents.
A freight train rammed the stationary Kanchanjunga Express at Sealdah near Rangapani, 30 km from New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri, on Monday morning, killing 10 people and injuring around 40.
The accident sparked a wave of criticism against the railways over the delay in implementing the Kavach.
In response, the ministry said that Kavach is a very complex system that includes six major subsystems: laying fiber optic cables along the tracks, installing telecommunications towers along the tracks, installing telecom equipment on these towers and in trains, setting up data centers at stations and integrate them with the signaling system, install equipment on tracks; and finally installing equipment on locomotives and trains.
“The system was finally certified in 2019. Despite the challenges of Covid, work has progressed and now both the railway and equipment manufacturers are ready to tackle major projects. Work is currently progressing rapidly on routes of 3,000 km. for other routes are also very fast,” said a senior railway ministry official, requesting anonymity.
According to the railways, the Kavach system, developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO), can automatically activate braking in the event of an emergency when the driver does not act in time, ensuring safe train operation even in bad weather.
“So far, Kavach has already been implemented on 1,465 route kilometers and 121 locomotives. Moreover, the Agra division has developed a complete Kavach network on the 80 km stretch between Mathura (excluding the station) and Palwal to conduct tests on different types of locomotives . engines and trains,” the official said.
Recently, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Jaya Verma Sinha and railway officials from North Central and Northern Railways inspected a Kavach trial on the Vande Bharat train between Palwal and Vridavan.
Sinha, while traveling in the eight-car Vande Bharat traveling at a speed of 160 kmph, had first-hand experience of the Kavach work system at red signals, loop lines and other speed restriction points.
The Railway Ministry also said there has been a sharp decline in the number of resulting train accidents, from 473 in 2000-2001 to 40 in 2022-2023.
“From 2004 to 2014, the average number of train accidents was 171 per year, which dropped significantly to 68 per year during the period from 2014 to 2024,” the official said.
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First print: June 19, 2024 | 12:50 pm IST