SCR deploys latest version of ‘Kavach’ on 63 km in Telangana

South Central Railway (SCR) on Friday (November 15) announced that the indigenously developed automatic train Protection system ‘Kavach’ (the latest 4.0 version) has been successfully commissioned along 63 route km (Rkm) on the Sanatnagar–Vikarabad section.

Kavach 3.2 has been commissioned on Nagarsol-Mudkhed-Dharmabad-Nizamabad-Secunderabad-Kurnool City-Dhone–Guntakal section for 959 Rkm; Vikarabad–Bidar section for 90 Rkm and Vikarabad–Wadi section for 112 Rkm. This apart, it has been commissioned on Bidar–Parli Vaijnath–Parbhani section for 241 Rkm, said an official release.

In total, Kavach has been implemented for a distance of 1,465 Rkm within the SCR, and it has been a pioneer in adopting the technology, developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with Indian industry, as it was closely associated with its implementation since development stage.

The Railways Ministry has now approved installing ‘Kavach’ 4.0 in 10,000 locomotives across the country. The latest version will further enhance safety of train operations and will help in rapid installation throughout the network in a few years.

The system will help avoid direct collision between trains through direct loco-to-loco communication, automatically applies brakes if the loco pilot fails to do so, displays line-side signal in loco pilot’s cab, auto whistles at level crossing gates, etc.

Kavach development timeline

1. 2014-15: Pilot project planned for a 250 km section on SCR.
2. 2015-16: First field trials on passenger trains.
3. 2017-18: Finalisation of Kavach specification version 3.2.
4. 2018-19: Three firms approved by RDSO.
5. July 2020: Kavach declared the national ATP system.

Published - November 15, 2024 08:39 pm IST