Coverage of Kavach Version 4.0 across North Central Railway

increased to 652 Route Kilometres

Prayagraj, 01 July (HS): North Central Railway (NCR) has

achieved another significant milestone in railway safety with the successful

commissioning of Kavach Version 4.0 (Train Collision Avoidance System – TCAS)

on the 207 Route Kilometre Tundla–Panki Dham section, enabling train operations

at speeds of up to 130 kmph. With this achievement, the total commissioned

coverage of Kavach Version 4.0 across North Central Railway has increased to

652 Route Kilometres.

The achievement was accomplished under the visionary leadership of the General

Manager, North Central Railway, Naresh Pal Singh and the Principal Chief Signal

& Telecommunication Engineer (PCSTE) D K Sinha.

Successful trial operations were conducted using Train No.

12033 Kanpur Shatabdi Express in the UP direction and Train No. 15484 Sikkim

Mahananda Express in the DN direction. Both trains were equipped with the

Kernex-built Kavach system.

A key highlight of this commissioning is the seamless

integration of Kavach with the Hitachi Electronic Interlocking System through

EIPC Protocol Converters, using S-TCAS and LC-TCAS architecture. This complex

interface was implemented successfully without any operational issues,

demonstrating a high level of technical excellence.

As part of the project, the Kavach system now covers 207

Route Kilometres onTundla - Panki Dham section, with stationary Kavach

installations at 22 S-TCAS stations and 17 LC-TCAS stations. The infrastructure

includes commissioning of 10 WAP-7 locomotives, installation of more than 4,600

RFID tags, construction of 17 new 40-metre communication towers, laying of

48-core Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), and establishment of 30 dedicated Kavach

equipment rooms.

The system underwent extensive validation by RDSO, North

Central Railway, and ISA Italcertifier. Testing included over 10,000 kilometres

of No-BIU trials, more than 190 SPAD prevention and loop-line speed control

tests, as well as successful validation of head-on and rear-end collision

avoidance features. Large-scale trials were also carried out on Vande Bharat,

Shatabdi Express, Shram Shakti Express, WAP-7, WAP-5 locomotives, light

engines, and various LHB rake configurations.

The successful commissioning of Kavach Version 4.0 on the

Tundla–Panki Dham section marks a major milestone towards enhancing safety and

enabling high-speed operations on the strategically important Delhi–Howrah

corridor. It also represents a significant contribution to Indian Railways'

Mission Raftaar and reflects the technical excellence, innovation, and

dedication of the Signal & Telecommunication team of North Central Railway.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi