Trains plying through Punjab to soon have “kavach” against accidents

With Indian Railway’s automatic train protection system “Kavach” successfully passing the anti-collision test conducted by Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Secunderabad on Friday, the system will soon be installed in the trains plying on the busiest routes in the country, including Mumbai to Amritsar via Ludhiana

With Indian Railway’s automatic train protection system “Kavach” successfully passing the anti-collision test conducted by Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Secunderabad on Friday, the system will soon be installed in the trains plying on the busiest routes in the country, including Mumbai to Amritsar via Ludhiana.

According to officials at the Ludhiana Railway Station, the automatic system will initially be installed on the trains from Mumbai to Delhi and will soon be the part of trains plying to Haryana and Punjab. (Representative image)

According to officials at the Ludhiana Railway Station, the automatic system will initially be installed on the trains from Mumbai to Delhi and will soon be the part of trains plying to Haryana and Punjab. The system will automatically halt the train to avoid collision with another one coming from the front. “This is an amazing concept and the whole department is very excited about it. In case the speed of the train needs to be controlled due to fog, but the driver is negligent about it, this system will automatically decrease it,” said Tarun Kumar, station director, Ludhiana.

According to the railways, “It works on the principle of continuous update of movement authority and help avoid collision by direct loco-to-loco communication. Moreover, the indigenously designed Kavach will support features of SOS in case of any mishap to control trains in vicinity”.

A total of 421 fatal railway accidents have been reported in Ludhiana in the last three years and most of these took place at the railway-level crossing gates. After this system is installed, the train will automatically blow a whistle when it will get near an LC gate. “This will be really helpful to avoid rail tragedies like the one in Amritsar, where 59 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured after two trains ran over the people gathered to witness Dussehra celebrations,” said an official.

Meanwhile, an official on the condition of anonymity said that drivers of the trains should not fully depend on the automated system, as there is always the risk of a technical glitch. The Indian Railways garnered huge praise from netizens. A user Vivek Cochin tweeted, “Great Progress in the field of safety and to support loco pilots. Hope this is launched soon.”