Railways to armour 3000 km of route with Kavach system

The government said on Friday that the Railways will armour 3,000 km of its network, including the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors, with the Kavach protective system.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, communications, and electronic and information technology, responded in writing to a question posed in the Rajya Sabha, stating that "Kavach tenders have been given for Delhi - Mumbai & Delhi - Howrah corridors (about 3000 Route miles) and construction is already underway on these routes. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) and detailed estimate for an additional 6000 RKM are being prepared by Indian Railways.

He continued by saying that Kavach has so far been used on 121 locomotives (including Electric Multiple Unit rakes) and 1465 Route kilometres on the South-Central Railway.

Kavach is an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system that was created locally. Kavach is a system that relies heavily on technology and calls for the greatest level of safety certification. By automatically applying the brakes when the loco pilot fails to do so, the Kavach assists the loco pilot in keeping the train moving within the designated speed restrictions. It also helps the train operate safely in bad weather.