IRISET building a ₹41.11-crore ‘Kavach’ Centre of Excellence

Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering & Telecommunications (IRISET) is building a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for modern signalling for ‘Kavach’, the indigenously designed automatic train protection system, at a cost of ₹41.11 crore along with a ₹28.46-crore testing facility for the next generational 5G technology in association with IIT-Chennai.

The CoE has already begun functioning from the premier training facility of the Indian Railways located in Secunderabad. It has developed Kavach standard training and operating manuals as well as installation practices for the loco pilots, loco inspectors, loco-shed supervisors, signal and telecom engineers and other field personnel in recent times, informed senior officials.

The centre, which has been working on the newer version and roll-out of Kavach, has just released an ‘Uniform Braking Algorithm’ incorporating various special features to meet operating conditions across various Original Equipment Manufacturers. Standard installation drawings of Kavach and various kinds of locomotives have been finalised, they explained.

The ‘logic’ behind direct loco-to-loco communication on existing railway network designed by the centre has also been accepted by Research Design & Standards Organisation as a standardised arrangement to be used by all stakeholders. With the Railways Ministry expediting Kavach roll-out, the analysis of “incidents in the field” is being carried out from time to time for necessary corrective action. More than eight “critical” issues have been analysed apart from minor routine issues through verbal guidance, said senior officials.

Pacts have been signed with three colleges — Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology (Hyderabad), Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology (Gorakhpur) and MBM University (Jodhpur) for introducing ‘open’ electives and certification course on railway signal engineering and ‘Kavach’, for B.Tech students. Earlier, six other colleges had come on board for the course.

While the focus is on conducting training courses on Kavach since it has become the flagship programme this year, about 1,014 personnel, including electric loco shed supervisors and mechanical officers alongside the usual trainees, have been trained through 45 programmes. Another 11 special training programmes were conducted for 877 chief loco inspectors in the technology, said IRISET Director-General Sharad Kumar Srivastava during the annual day function.

Published - November 26, 2024 12:24 am IST