After the collision of two trains in West Bengal, the Railway Ministry Tuesday said the implementation of Automatic Train Protection System, also known as Kavach, is going on in a rapid manner on 3,000 route kilometer, and once completed it will help prevent such accidents.A goods train rammed into the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani, 30 km from the New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri, on Monday morning killing 10 people and injuring around 40.
The accident triggered a wave of criticism of the railways over the delay in the implementation of the Kavach.
In response, the ministry said Kavach is a very complex system involving six major sub-systems: laying optical fibre cable along the track, installing telecom towers along tracks, installing telecom equipment on these towers and on trains, setting up data centres at stations and integrating them with the signal system, installing equipment on tracks; and finally installing equipment on locomotives and trains.
“The system was finally certified in 2019. Despite Covid challenges, work progressed and now the railway as well as equipment manufacturers are geared up to take up large projects. At this point of time, work is progressing rapidly on 3,000 km routes. Design work for other routes is also progressing very fast,” a senior official from the railway ministry said, requesting anonymity.
According to the railways, the Kavach system, developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), can trigger automatic application of brakes in case of an emergency when the train driver fails to act in time, ensuring safe train operations even in bad weather.