Kavach: Train Collision Avoidance System

Context:

India tested indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection System on South Central Railway recently.

About Kavach:

• It is India’s very own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened to Kavach or “armour”.
• Simply put, it is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well the tracks.
• They connect to each other using ultra high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them.
• TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collision Device.
• It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future.
• The Kavach system was announced in the 2022 Union Budget as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Around 2,000 km of rail network is planned to be brought under the indigenous system to enable safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.

Key features of Kavach

• One of its features is that by continuously refreshing the movement information of a train, it is able to send out triggers when a loco pilot jumps signal, called Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD).
• The devices also continuously relay the signals ahead to the locomotive, making it useful for loco pilots in low visibility, especially during dense fog.
• It includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collison Device.
• It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future.
• The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level 4.

What is the upgrade?

• In the new avatar, India wants to position Kavach as an exportable system, a cheaper alternative to the European systems in vogue across the world.
• While now Kavach uses Ultra High Frequency, work is on to make it compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and make the product for global markets.
• Work is on to make the system such that it can be compatible with other already installed systems globally.

What is the Significance?

• Safety:
  • The Kavach system will help prevent accidents on rail tracks like collision of trains.
  • Once the system is activated, all trains within a 5-km range will halt to provide protection for trains on adjacent tracks.
    • Currently, the loco-pilots or assistant loco-pilots have to look out for caution signs and signals.
• Cost:
  • It will only cost Rs 50 lakh per kilometre to operate in comparison to about Rs 2 crore worldwide.
• Communication:
  • It will also include stationary equipment to gather signalling inputs and relay them to a central system to enable seamless communication with the train crew and stations.

How far is the rollout?

• So far, Kavach has been deployed on over 1,098 km and 65 locomotives in ongoing projects of the South Central Railway.
• In future it will be implemented on 3000 km of the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors where the tracks and systems are being upgraded to host a top speed of 160 kmph.
• Further, over 34,000 km on the High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilized Network (HUN) of on the Golden Quadrilateral have been included in its sanctioned plans.

Facts about Indian Railways

• The Fairy Queen is the oldest functioning steam engine in the world. It is plying between New Delhi and Alwar in Rajasthan.
• Four sites of Indian Railways have been declared as “World Heritage sites” by the UNESCO. They are Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain, Mumbai CST, and Kalka-Shimla Railways.
• Indian Railways was nationalized in 1951
• Toilets were introduced on Indian Railways in 1909.
• Indian Railways started computerized reservation in New Delhi in 1986.
• Indian Railways is the world’s second-largest network operated under a single administration and the largest rail network in Asia.
• The railway runs more than 7,421 cargo trains carrying 3 million tons of freight daily.

• Indian Railway has gone into a select club of railways that includes China, Russia, and the USA in carrying more than one billion tons of cargo yearly.
• According to the Acworth Committee in 1920-21, the railway finances of India were separated from the general government finances in 1924.
• In 1994, the first live telecast of the railway budget took place.
• Recently Railway and General Budget have merged.
• India’s fastest train has successfully completed a trial run at 160 km per hour on the route between Delhi and Agra in just 90 minutes.
• In 2000, Mamata Banerjee was the first woman to become Railway Minister.
• She holds the record of being the only woman who introduced the railway budget for two different governments in the Parliament (UPA and NDA).
• The Gatimaan Express (New Delhi- Agra) is currently the fastest train.
• The Mettupalayam-Ooty Nilgiri Passenger train is the slowest train which runs at an average speed of 10 kmph.
• The New Delhi Railway Station has the world’s largest Route Relay Interlocking System.
• Indian Railways is the world’s seventh-largest employer with over 1.4 million employees on its rolls.
• The renewed platform at Gorakhpur Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh has become the world’s longest, measuring 1,366 meters.
• Indian Railways is building the world’s highest railway bridge five times the height of Qutub Minar and 35 meters taller than Eiffel Tower.
• Indian Railways’ longest tunnel is Pir Panjal that links Kashmir Valley with Banihal in Jammu.
• Station with the shortest name is Ib in Odisha.
• Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta is the station with the longest name.

Source: Indian Express

You can find many articles on Infrastructure and Industry (part of GS III) in our website. Go through these articles share with your friends and post your views in comment section.