New Delhi, 23 September (H.S.): Indian Railways has achieved a significant milestone in railway safety with the successful commissioning of Kavach 4.0 for the first time on the South Central Railway (SCR). The upgraded automatic train protection system has been deployed across 108 route kilometres on the Malkajgiri–Kamareddy section of the Hyderabad Division, replacing Kavach 3.2.

The Ministry of Railways said on Wednesday that Kavach 4.0 incorporates several technological enhancements based on the experience gained from the deployment of Kavach 3.2 across 1,465 route kilometres on the South Central Railway. The upgraded version is planned for large-scale deployment across the country.

Kavach 4.0 offers more precise train-location information, along with enhanced capabilities for identifying signal aspects in large yards. It also features station-to-station Kavach interfaces through optical fibre cable (OFC) and direct interfacing with existing electronic interlocking systems.

Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to assist loco pilots in operating trains within prescribed speed limits and to automatically apply brakes when necessary. The system is intended to prevent Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD), regulate train speed during critical situations and help reduce the risk of train collisions.

The implementation of Kavach requires a range of technological infrastructure at stations and block sections, including Station Kavach, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags installed along the entire track, communication towers, trackside optical fibre cables and Loco Kavach equipment fitted in train locomotives.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the system meets the requirements of Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4), the highest level of safety integrity certification under the relevant railway safety framework.

The ministry said the successful commissioning of Kavach 4.0 on the South Central Railway marks an important step towards strengthening indigenous railway safety technology and expanding advanced automatic train protection systems across different parts of Indian Railways.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar