Prayagraj,

17 March (HS): In a major boost to rail safety and the “Make in India”

initiative, North Central Railway (NCR) is set to commission the Kavach

Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System on the 190 Route Kilometre (RKM)

stretch between Prayagraj and Kanpur (Both Stations excluding) within the

coming week.

This

implementation marks a pivotal milestone in modernizing Indian Railways’

infrastructure, focusing on the elimination of human error and the enhancement

of operational efficiency on one of the zone's most critical sections. The

commissioning follows a period of exhaustive technical and field trials

designed to ensure the system's absolute reliability. Key highlights of the

testing phase include:

Diverse

Configurations: Trials were successfully conducted using WAP-7 locomotives with

8, 16, and 22 LHB coach configurations.

High-Speed

Rakes: The system was rigorously tested with 20-car Vande Bharat rakes to

assess performance under high-speed conditions.

Passenger

Trials: Over 20,000 kilometres of passenger trial runs have been completed,

including consistent performance on the Chauri Chaura Express (Train No.

15003/15004).

Kavach is

an indigenously developed electronic system that provides a safety shield for

train operations. The system is engineered to prevent SPAD (Signal Passing at

Danger): Automatically intervene if a pilot overlooks a red signal. It

facilitates Automatic Braking i.e. it initiates emergency braking if the loco

pilot fails to control the speed as per specified limits or in the event of

potential head-on collisions. It also enhances Real-time Monitoring with

provision of continuous updates about the locomotive's speed and braking

distance requirements.

This

achievement was realized under the leadership of Naresh Pal Singh, General

Manager, NCR, and the technical guidance of Satendra Kumar, Principal Chief

Signal & Telecommunication Engineer (PCSTE). Satendra Kumar personally

oversaw locomotive trials to validate various operational scenarios, ensuring

the system met all safety benchmarks. The successful rollout is a testament to

the coordinated efforts of the Signal & Telecommunication team and

associated departments of North Central Railway. North Central Railway remains

committed to adopting modern safety technologies and strengthening the safety

framework of Indian Railways, ensuring safer, more reliable, and efficient

train operations for passengers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi