In a statement to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw disclosed that over Rs 557 crore has been earmarked in the Interim Budget 2024-25 for the implementation of the railways’ anti-collision system, ‘Kavach’.
He said this in response to the questions of Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan, who said the “funds are no constraints” in the installation of the protection system. Additionally, Khan inquired about the factors contributing to the delayed installation of the Kavach system within Indian Railways. He sought clarification on whether budget constraints and limited fund disbursement were responsible for the sluggish progress. Furthermore, he sought information on any proposed or forthcoming measures aimed at expediting the process.
Kavach progress report
The minister emphasised that Kavach is a technologically advanced system that demands the highest level of safety certification. He noted that Kavach was officially implemented as a national automatic train protection (ATP) system in July 2020, and to date, it has been installed on 1,465 route kilometers and 139 locomotives, including Electric Multiple Unit rakes, on the South Central Railway network.
In his update to the Upper House, he revealed that tenders for Kavach implementation have been granted for the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors, encompassing around 3,000 route kilometers. Providing a progress overview, the minister mentioned that optical fiber cable installation has been completed along 3,040 kilometers, and 269 telecommunication towers have been erected.
Moreover, he stated that 186 pieces of equipment have been installed at stations, along with 170 units on locomotives. Additionally, track-side equipment has been deployed along 827 route kilometers.
Detailing the Kavach system, he explained, “Implementation of Kavach involves installation of Station Kavach at each and every station, installation of RFID tags throughout the track length and provision of Loco Kavach on each and every Locomotive running on Indian Railways, a communication backbone, requiring installation of towers throughout the section, laying of optical fiber throughout the section. Kavach is being provided progressively.” Currently, there are three Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) approved for Kavach, he added. The approval process for OEMs is ongoing, and additional efforts are underway to develop more OEMs, thereby bolstering capacity and expanding implementation, he further said.
(With PTI inputs)
