Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Thursday that the long-awaited Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Mumbai railway corridors are on track to complete the implementation of the KAVACH anti-collision system by the fiscal year 2024-2025.
The KAVACH project, an ambitious automatic train protection (ATP) system, was given the green light for implementation in 2016. It is an indigenously developed technology that assists the loco pilot in ensuring the train runs within specified speed limits and can automatically apply brakes in case of failure by the pilot, as well as operate safely in inclement weather conditions.
Furthermore, Vaishnaw revealed that the introduction of the Next Generation KAVATCH, featuring 4G/5G-based systems, is expected to set new standards in infrastructure technology. The tender for this advanced technology is anticipated to be unveiled next month.
The government has set an ambitious goal of covering 2,500 kilometers per year, with a projected leap to 5,000 kilometers per year in 2025-2026. This ambitious target follows the recent tragic triple-train accident in Odisha’s Balasore, which claimed the lives of nearly 300 passengers and left around 1,000 injured.
In addition to the anti-collision system, Vaishnaw highlighted the railway’s efforts to protect elephants in their corridors. The railway launched a new technology to prevent elephant deaths by trains in elephant-prone areas, and as a pilot project, the technology has been successfully tested on a 150-kilometer stretch in Assam.
Vaishnaw also shared plans to install the technology in 7,00 KM of elephant-prone areas in the coming months, with a project cost of Rs 181 crore. This initiative will benefit regions in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, and Tamil Nadu.
