Railways' Kavach train collision prevention system on only 1,465 route km: Govt
Indian Railways' train collision prevention system Kavach has been deployed on only 1465 Route km, says Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
Indian Railways' automatic train collision prevention system Kavach has so far been deployed on only 1,465 Route km (Rkm) since the first field trials on the passenger trains started in February 2016, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Kavach aids the loco pilot in train running within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case the Loco Pilot fails to do so and also helps the train safely run during inclement weather.
“Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. Kavach is a highly technology-intensive system, which requires safety certification of the highest order,” Vaishnaw said in the written reply.
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The statement revealed that Kavach has so far been deployed on 1,465 Rkm and 121 locomotives (including Electric Multiple Unit rakes) on South Central Railway in Telangana (684 Rkm), Andhra Pradesh (66 Rkm), Karnataka (117 Rkm) & Maharashtra (598 Rkm) States.
Route kilometre is the distance between two points on the Railway irrespective of the number of lines connecting them, whether single line, double line etc.
The Kavach system was under scrutiny after a massive triple train collision in Odisha's Balasore district, which claimed over 235 lives. However, it was confirmed by Railways then that there was no 'Kavach' system on the route.
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Indian Railways' Kavach system
The first field trials on the passenger trains were started in February 2016. Based on the experience so gained and the Independent Safety Assessment of the system by a 3rd party (Independent Safety Assessor: ISA) three firms were approved in 2018-19, for the supply of Kavach.
Subsequently, Kavach was adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020.
The statement added that tenders for the technology implementation have been awarded for Delhi – Mumbai & Delhi – Howrah corridors (approximately 3000 Route km) and work is in progress on these routes in West Bengal (229Rkm), Jharkhand (193Rkm), Bihar (227Rkm), Uttar Pradesh (943Rkm), Delhi (30Rkm), Haryana (81Rkm), Rajasthan (425Rkm), Madhya Pradesh (216Rkm), Gujarat (526Rkm), Maharashtra (84Rkm).
Cost of implementing the Kavach system
The cost for the provision of Trackside, including station equipment of Kavach, is approximately ₹ 50 Lakhs/Km, while the cost for the provision of Kavach equipment on the loco is approximately ₹ 70 lakh/loco. The total amount spent on Kavach implementation so far is ₹ 351.91 Crores, and the budgetary allocation for Kavach during the year 2023-24 is ₹ 710.12 Crores.