When ‘Kavach’ brought two trains on same track to screeching halt

Hyderabad: Railway officials literally held their breath as two locomotives hurtled down at 120 kmph on the same track. A head-on collision appeared imminent. But just then the two trains screeched to a halt at a gap of 300 metres. And, the officials pumped fists high in the air, patted each other and began breathing […]

Hyderabad: Railway officials literally held their breath as two locomotives hurtled down at 120 kmph on the same track. A head-on collision appeared imminent. But just then the two trains screeched to a halt at a gap of 300 metres. And, the officials pumped fists high in the air, patted each other and began breathing easy.

Very very important persons — Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Railway Board Chairman Vinay Kumar Tripathi – were on board the two trains that were deliberately run on the same track in opposite directions, just to conduct the test for ‘Kavach’, an automatic electronic train protection system, on Friday between Gullaguda and Chitgidda stations.

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Kavach, developed by the Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), is meant to avoid collisions of trains either running in the same or opposite directions, without any manual intervention.

The system would also stop the train even when the pilot does not follow the whistle code — blowing a long horn at level crossings, maintaining the standard speed of 8 to15 kmph at the loop lines, or overshooting a red signal light.

The indigenously developed system was under trial for the last six years in South Central Railway (SCR) and Friday was the day when the Railway Minister tested it for himself.

 

SPAD test, tried crossing signal at red. Kavach is protecting and not allowing the Loco to move.#BharatKaKavach pic.twitter.com/x6Ys9iz9xJ

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) March 4, 2022

After a thorough inspection, the Minister said Kavach would be implemented on 2,000 km stretches this year on New Delhi–Mumbai and New Delhi–Howrah routes. It would be extended to an additional 4,000 to 5,000 km from next year.

“Kavach costs Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for one kilometre, while European models cost Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore per km,” said Vaishnaw.

The system was implemented in SCR limits on 264 km and 25 stations. It has now been extended by an additional 936 km, taking the cumulative coverage to 1,200 km.

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