The Union Ministry of Railways is set to install the latest version of its anti-collision system, Kavach, i.e., Kavach 4.0 in the 52 Vande Bharat trains. The KAVACH is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has designed this system in collaboration with the Indian industry. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, at present Kavach 3.2 is deployed in the Vande Bharat Trains and will be upgraded to 4.0 after it is approved. The minister also added that it would take little time and soon work will start on this upgraded technology.
As per the reports, till now, 1,465 km of the railway track has been equipped with the Kavach system. It has also been installed on 121 engines. Agra Division has installed the Kavach network on an 80 km long section between Mathura (except station) and Palwal to conduct tests on some engines and trains.
Specialty of the Kavach 4.0
Kavach 4.0 technology is marked safe and its trial has been conducted in hilly areas, sea coast, areas with snowfall to dense forests. After its trial was successful in all areas, RDSAO (Research Design and Standards Organization) approved the technology. After the approval, the Railway Ministry has decided to install it on two more routes.
All engines will be installed with the Kavach system
The railway will deploy the Kavach system on 5,000 km. It will also install automatic train protection on a 9,000 km track by March 2025. New trains will come pre-installed with Kavach 4.0. As per the reports, the first phase will see deployment of the system on 10,000 locomotives (engines).
As per the reports, the urgency to increase the ambit of the Kavach was taken following the Kanchenjunga train accident in June 2024, which resulted in 11 deaths. The absence of Kavach on the route underscored the need for a massive implementation. A similar triple-train collision in Balasore, Odisha, happened in June 2023, which claimed 293 lives. Kavach was not operational on any of these routes.
As of now, 3 Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) — HBL Power Systems, Kernex and Medha — are permitted for Kavach.
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