On Friday, the Agra railway division successfully tested an automatic braking system installed in a Vande Bharat train. It is part of the indigenously developed anti-collision device ‘Kavach’.
“In the first-ever trial, the loco pilot did not apply the brakes and still, the train, running at a speed of 160 kmph, automatically stopped 10 metres before the red signal,” said Agra Railway Division PRO Prashasti Srivastava, reported PTI.
As per reports, in the country, all Vande Bharat trains are fitted with a ‘Kavach’ system. The system can apply brakes on its own in case the loco pilot fails to do it due to any reason.
Since this system requires many other components such as station Kavach, RFID tags throughout the track length, and Kavach towers along the railway tracks to work simultaneously, the Indian Railways is in the process of implementing these components across its network to improve operational safety.
At 9:30 in the morning, the trial commenced between Mathura and Palwal. Till 2 in the afternoon, the entire exercise was repeated in both up and down directions. The trial was done on an eight-car Vande Bharat train.
The exercise will now be done for 16-car Vande Bharat trains, said Srivastava.
Between Mathura (excluding the station) and Palwal, on the 80-km stretch, the Agra division has developed a complete Kavach network.