Railway Board Chairperson and CEO Jaya Verma Sinha, along with senior officials from North Central and Northern Railways, on Tuesday (May 14) inspected a Kavach trial aboard the Vande Bharat train between Palwal and Vrindavan. Sinha experienced the Kavach system firsthand as the train, running at 160 kmph, demonstrated its functionality at red signals, loop lines, and other speed restriction points.
“The trial, conducted under the overall supervision of Kush Gupta, Deputy Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer, was successful as the train stopped at red signals on its own with the help of Kavach,” a senior official of the Railways said.
“The train followed all speed restrictions with the help of Kavach without the loco pilot’s interference. For instance, it was supposed to slow down to 30 kmph to enter the loop line near Chhata, one of the stations on the Palwal-Vridavan route, which it did in quite a precise manner,” the official added.
Kavach system demonstrates efficiency
Participants in the trial noted that Sinha was highly impressed with Kavach’s efficient performance. Sinha boarded the Vande Bharat at 9:15 am from Palwal station along with senior officials, including the General Managers of North Central and Northern Railways, the Principal Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer of the NCR Zone, the Principal Executive Director of the Railway Board, and the Divisional Railway Manager of Agra.
“The train reached Sholaka station at 9:38 am and stopped at a red signal before entering Hodal station. Running at 160 kmph, the Kavach system detected the red signal and applied the brakes automatically from around 1,300 meters away,” a railway official explained. “It stopped just 9 meters before the signal, and everyone, including the Chairperson, expressed satisfaction.”
Train adhered to all permanent speed restriction
Railway officials confirmed that the train adhered to all permanent speed restrictions, slowing down as required using the Kavach system without any manual interference from the loco pilot. “The train reached Vrindavan at 10:45 am. The Chairperson also inspected the Kavach system installed at Vrindavan station,” said Srivastava. The return journey commenced at 11:10 am, arriving back at Palwal by 12:30 pm.
Vande Bharat trains equipped with Kavach system
All Vande Bharat trains are equipped with the Kavach system, which can automatically apply brakes if the loco pilot fails to do so for any reason. Before the Chairperson’s inspection, the Agra division, under Gupta’s supervision, successfully conducted three Kavach trials at 140 kmph and 160 kmph for other mail, express, and Vande Bharat trains.
Kavach network on Mathura-Palwal route
The Agra division has developed a complete Kavach network on the 80-km stretch between Mathura (excluding the station) and Palwal. This includes placing RFID tags on railway tracks, installing stationary Kavach units at various locations, and setting up towers and antennas along the tracks.
What is Indian Railways’ Kavach system?
Developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the Kavach system can automatically apply brakes in emergencies when a train driver fails to act in time. According to RDSO officials, a 125-km stretch between Delhi and Agra is the only section across the entire rail network where trains can run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph, while all other sections in India have a maximum speed of 130 kmph.
This special track was initially laid for India’s first semi-high speed train, the Gatimaan Express, which was launched in April 2016.