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Over 30,000 personnel have already been trained, and Kavach 4.0 is set to expand across the network within six years.
Kavach is a complex, high-tech system that works like a digital guardian for trains.
Indian Railways has rolled out its most advanced railway safety system yet, Kavach 4.0, on the Mathura-Kota section of the busy Delhi-Mumbai route.
This marks the first implementation of the new version and a big leap in train safety technology for the nation, as per Mint.
What is Kavach 4.0?
Kavach, which means “armour” in Hindi, is an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed and made entirely in India, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.
How Does It Work?
Kavach 4.0 uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags placed every kilometre along railway tracks and at signals to detect a train’s exact location. The system includes telecom towers with optical fibre lines to ensure instant data exchange between trains and stations.
Even in poor visibility conditions like fog, loco pilots won’t have to rely on external signals. Instead, all vital information is displayed inside the train’s cabin dashboard.
What Makes It Special?
- Automatic Braking: Kavach is directly linked with the braking system to stop the train in emergencies.
- High Safety Rating: It’s designed to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL 4), the highest safety certification.
- Speed-Ready: Approved for speeds up to 160 kmph.
- Network Scale: Setting it up is like installing a mini telecom network across the railway line.
Is It Already in Use?
Over 4,000 km of tracks, 708 stations, and 1,107 locomotives have been equipped with Kavach. Indian Railways has also laid 5,856 km of fibre optic cable and built 619 telecom towers to support the system.
What’s Next?
With more than 30,000 railway staff already trained, Indian Railways plans to expand Kavach 4.0 rapidly across the network in the next few years.
Samreen Pall, Senior Sub-Editor at News18, is a Computer Science graduate but a writer at heart, Samreen has one motto that she swears by: ‘Everything is dull and useless if it has no drama in it.’ This motto c…Read More
Samreen Pall, Senior Sub-Editor at News18, is a Computer Science graduate but a writer at heart, Samreen has one motto that she swears by: ‘Everything is dull and useless if it has no drama in it.’ This motto c… Read More
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