What is the status of Kavach installations?

Subject: Science and tech

Sections: Defence

Context:

The deadly collision between two passenger trains in southern India’s Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh which killed 14 people and injured fifty persons could have been averted if Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) were in place.
East Coast Railway officials indicated that the indigenously developed TCAS called ‘Kavach,’ was not installed on the route where the Visakhapatnam Palasa and Visakhapatnam Rayagada trains collided.

What is TCAS Kavach?

Kavach is a cab signaling train control system with anti collision features.
It plays the role of a watchdog over the existing signalling system.
It was developed over a period of 10 years, starting in 2012, by the Indian

Railways Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).

Kavach is designed to give out warnings to the loco pilot in case he does not notice the ‘red signal,’ and instead of stopping, is going to overshoot the signal.
After giving warnings on the locopilot’s display, if the pilot does not slow down below 15 kilometers per hour, the Kavach system automatically applies brakes to bring the train to a halt.

How is the Kavach system deployed?

In the Kavach setup, the railway stations along the route where this tech is sanctioned to be deployed are provided with three components.
First is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the tracks.
RFID tech uses radio waves to identify people or objects. It uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and read information contained in a wireless device from a distance without making physical contact or requiring a line of sight.
Secondly, the locomotive, which is the driver’s cabin, is provided with RFID readers, computer, and brake interface equipment.
Finally, radio infrastructure which are towers and modems are installed at railway stations.

How does Kavach infrastructure work?

The three components of Kavach on rail tracks, locomotives and at railway stations are communicating with each other to monitor train movements, and transmit signals ahead to locomotives.
Their function is not affected by visual interferences like hilly geography or haze.
There is direct loco to loco communication and information regarding location and track IDs are exchanged, in case it is noted that both trains are on the same line.
The locomotives have antennas which communicate with towers on railway stations and display warnings to the driver on his monitor.

How much does the Kavach system cost?

Deploying Kavach costs ₹50 lakh per kilometer for the Indian Railways.
Experts say present coverage for Kavach is only 1,500 km and at this rate, it may take many years to ensure Kavach even on high density routes as Railways has a total route length of 68,000 kms.
Current Kavach coverage includes the 1,400 km stretch in South Central Railway and 200 to 250 km routes from Delhi to Mumbai and Delhi to Kolkata where it is still under testing in patches, installed in 100 kms here and there, not in continuous sections and not operational.