Kavach rail safety system passes trial, nationwide rollout planned for 2030

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday conducted a detailed assessment of the ‘Kavach’ Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, overseeing critical upgrades and successful tests between Sawai Madhopur and Indargarh stations in Rajasthan under the West Central Railway Zone. The test proved that the system is capable of preventing accidents in seven different emergency situations, cementing its role as a game-changer in railway safety.

Vaishnaw hailed Kavach as the “future of railway safety” and outlined plans to install the system on 10,000 locomotives and along 9,000 km of track in the first phase. A nationwide rollout is scheduled for December 2030.

Speed ​​to stop: Kavach automatically stopped the train 50 meters from a red signal, without the driver having to do anything.

Permanent speed limits: While driving at 130 km/h, Kavach reduced the speed to 120 km/h in the warning zones and recovered it to 130 km/h after exiting the corner.

2/9 PSR (Permanent speed restrictions):
The train was travelling at a speed of 130 km/h, but KAVACH automatically reduced the speed to 120 km/h through the warning zone and restored the speed to 130 km/h after the train left the zone. photo.twitter.com/LCKqZzRDiR

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) September 25, 2024

Loop Line Safety: The system automatically reduced the train’s speed to a safe 30 km/h on loop routes.

Station master warning: When the station master urged him, Kavach immediately stopped the train for safety reasons.

Cabin signaling: Kavach provided continuous cab signalling, with the next signal displayed on the locomotive cab throughout the journey.

6/9 Cabin signaling:
During the entire journey, the following signal aspect was continuously visible on the display in the locomotive cab, thus successfully testing the signalling system in the cab. photo.twitter.com/KtLJ2gabLI

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) September 25, 2024

Home signal intervention: Kavach prevented the train from passing the red home signal, thus averting a possible accident.

7/9 Passing home signal:
The driver tried to pass a red main signal, but KAVACH prevented the train from doing so. In this way, safety could be guaranteed and the train could be stopped in time. photo.twitter.com/pGakQw3u7o

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) September 25, 2024

The Ministry of Railways has invested a lot of time and resources in this project, which has been in development for the past eight years. The implementation of the system comes at a critical time, as Indian Railways has seen an average of 43 consequential accidents per year over the past five years, with 56 passenger fatalities per year from 2015 to 2022.