Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Railways is yet to complete implementation of its automatic train protection system Kavach, though it was approved in 2020. According to a reply by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha, the railways started to install the system across zones after field trials in 2016. However, the rollout has still not been completed in any zone.The system has been successfully commissioned only on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. The railways are yet to provide a zone-wise update on the programme’s status, particularly in the southern zone, despite a question from D Ravi Kumar, an MP from Tamil Nadu.Kavach helps loco pilots in running of the trains within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case a loco pilot fails to do so and helps the trains to run safely during inclement weather.The reply says that Kavach implementation work has been taken up on 21,858 route km covering golden quadrilateral, golden diagonal and high-density routes, including sections Gudur-Chennai Central Arakkonaum-Renigunta, Arakkonaum-Jolarpettai, Shoranur-Ernakulam sections. However, work has been progressing on the Chennai-Arakkonam route for years. In between, the system was revised and updated.An official said installation is a complex and time-consuming process, as it involves deploying systems at every station and block section, radio-frequency identification tags along the entire track, telecom towers, optical-fibre cables and in locomotives.Though it was approved in 2020, it was updated to Kavach 4.0 in July 2024, says the reply. The upgrade includes increased location accuracy and improved signal information. Kavach is being installed in 7,327 locomotives and 1,200 EMU/Memu trains.Around 94,000 technicians, operators and engineers have been trained on the technology so far. This includes about 57,000 loco pilots and assistant loco pilots.According to the railway, there has been a decline in what they call as consequential accidents that lead to severe loss of life, injuries and damage to railway property. The reply in Lok Sabha says that there were only 16 accidents compared to 135 in 2014-15.
