Kolkata
Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and all possible steps are being undertaken on a continuous basis to prevent train accidents. Indian Railways has indigenously developed an automatic train protection system – ‘Kavach’ (Train Collision Avoidance System) to prevent accidents caused by human error or equipment failures. It provides real-time information to train pilots, making it safer to run trains at higher speeds. The system can automatically apply brakes if the loco pilot fails to do so and also help the train run safely during inclement weather
As far as the South Eastern Railway’s Kavach installation is concerned, the 688-kilometer HDN line (the Howrah-Kharagpur-Bhadrak and Kharagpur-Tatanagar-Jharsuguda section) will open for bids on November 25, 2024. Work on the 1556 KM HUN route has been approved for Kavach. The deadline to invite bids is January 31, 2025. The remaining 515 KM of Kavach construction is approved under the Financial Year 2024–2025 umbrella project. The commissioning of Kavach over the S.E. Railway is tentatively planned for March 2028.
A multidisciplinary team is needed to coordinate the various activities involved because Kavach installation is a major challenge for expeditious project execution and requires close coordination with the rolling stock branch due to the many complexities of Indian Railways, including mixed traffic, speed differential, variety of locomotives, and coaching and wagon stocks. Despite these complexities, Indian Railways has planned to complete Kavach installation in speedy manner. The latest version of Kavach has so far been installed on 1,548 RKM by Indian Railways and work is underway for 3,000 RKM. Moreover, bids have been invited for another 14,735 RKM. With increasing demand for improved safety measures, Kavach is seen as a crucial addition to India’s Railway safety infrastructure.