In the bustling city of Mumbai, the Indian Railways is poised to implement its cutting-edge signaling technology, Kavach, commencing with the Mumbai Central-Virar route on the Western Railway (WR). Tenders have been released for the deployment of Kavach, an upgraded iteration of the prevailing auxiliary cautionary system within the Mumbai suburban rail network.
Crafted domestically, the Kavach system boasts the capability to autonomously engage braking mechanisms in instances of excessive speed or potential collisions, thereby bolstering safety across the railway network. A senior WR official stated, “We have initiated the tender process for the incorporation of Kavach technology on the Dahanu – Mumbai Central route. This will be integrated into the Up and Down Fast corridor and the 5-6 lines dedicated to long-distance trains.”
Elaborating on this, authorities clarified that the fast corridor accommodates both local and long-distance trains, while the fifth and sixth lines predominantly cater to outstation trains. The implementation of the comprehensive Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system of Kavach between Mumbai and Ratlam is slated for completion by June 2024.
In the year 2022, WR granted three distinct contracts for the provision of the Kavach system, encompassing a total distance of 735 km with 90 locomotives. These contractual agreements encompass stretches on the Virar-Surat-Vadodara, Vadodara-Ahmedabad, and Vadodara-Ratlam-Nagda sections, with an anticipated culmination date in 2024.
Kavach, attaining certification at the pinnacle of safety integrity, aids Loco Pilots in averting Signal Passing At Danger (SPAD), managing instances of overspeeding, and ensuring secure train operations during adverse weather conditions such as dense fog. The system operates on the principle of continual movement updates through radio communication in Ultra High Frequency. The financial outlay for the installation of Trackside, inclusive of Station equipment for Kavach, hovers around ₹50 lakh/km, while the cost for the installation of Kavach equipment on locomotives approximates ₹70 lakh/loco.