New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will travel in a Kavach-fitted train on Tuesday afternoon in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur to test if the train stops on its own at the red signal without the loco pilot applying the brakes. Kavach is an automatic train protection system which is being fitted in trains across the nation’s railway network.
Vaishnaw will check the efficiency of the automatic train protection system at Sawai Madhopur. According to railway officials, Vaishnaw will board the Kavach-fitted engine of a train at 4 pm at the Sawai Madhopur railway station and travel for 45 minutes up to Indargarh Railway station.
Also Read : Driving from Delhi to Noida? Heavy Vehicles Will be Banned on the Expressway for 5 Days; Check Diversions
“In these 45 minutes, the train will run in (a) Kavach-equipped section at different speeds to see if it stops on its own at red signals without applying brake by the loco pilot,” the official said, adding that a team of media persons will also accompany the minister for the trial.
What Is Kavach-Fitted Trains?
Indian Railways has indigenously developed an automatic train protection system called ‘Kavach’ to enhance safety of running trains. The Kavach system, also known as an Automatic Train Protection System (ATP), has been developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
Kavach features centralised live monitoring system and has three components. First is the incorporation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology into the tracks which identifies objects or individuals. Second, setting up RFID readers, a computer, and brake interface equipment in the driver’s cabin. The third component encompasses radio infrastructure, such as towers and modems, strategically installed at railway stations to support the function.
Also Read : Full list of public holidays in India 2025
The Railway Ministry has been working on this project for the last eight years to bring the rail network under the Kavach system in a phased manner. According to the Railway Ministry, Kavach’s first field trials on passenger trains were started in February 2016 and based on the experience gained and the Independent Safety Assessment of the system by a third party, three firms were approved in 2018-19 for supply of Kavach.
“Kavach has so far been deployed on 1465 Route km and 139 locomotives (including Electric Multiple Unit rakes) on South Central Railway,” said the Railway Ministry.
How Kavach Aids Loco Pilots?
Kavach not only aids loco pilots to avoid signal passing at danger and over-speeding but also helps in train running during inclement weather such as dense fog, thus, enhancing the safety and efficiency of train operations. It can apply brakes automatically in an emergency when a train driver fails to act in time.
Automatic braking: The system automatically applies the brakes if the locomotive approaches a signal at danger or exceeds the permitted speed.
Also Read : Central govt employees, pensioners alert! CGHS guidelines revised – Here are new benefits and more details
In-cab signalling: The system displays the current signal indication in the locomotive cab, which helps the driver to avoid SPADs.
Speed restriction: The system can be configured to restrict the speed of the train to a specified value. This can be used to prevent overspeeding in areas where there is a risk of collisions.
Train integrity monitoring: The system can monitor the integrity of the train, such as the presence of all the coaches and the condition of the brakes. This can help to prevent derailments and other accidents.
All About Kavach 4.0
Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a recent press briefing, had said that the Kavach advanced version 4.0 was approved by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) on July 17, 2024, and large-scale installation would begin soon.
According to Vaishnaw, the Kavach 4.0 would be able to tackle all kinds of communication challenges in all geographical conditions, such as hilly terrain, forest, coastal and desert areas, among others.
The work is going on to operationalise the Kavach system on the 3,000-km long Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Kolkata rail routes and is expected to finish by March next year, he added.
