What is Kavach in Railways? How does it prevent train accidents

By
Rajini Gurram
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Kavach is an automatic train protection (ATP) system indigenously developed by Indian  Railways. Kavach is a system which alerts when a loco pilot jumps a signal (Signal Passed at Danger -SPAD), which is the leading cause of train collisions.

The system can alert the loco pilot and take control of the brakes and bring train movement to a halt automatically. When it notices another train on the same line within a prescribed distance.

The installation of Kavach train collision avoidance system is currently going on in Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes. However, the technology was not available on the route in Odisha where three train-crash took place on Friday night, according to a railway official.

Kavach (train protection system)

As per wikipedia, Kavach is an automatic train protection (ATP) system indigenously developed by Indian Railways. Through the Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), initial development of Kavach started in 2012 under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

What is kavach in Indian railways?

Kavach alerts when a loco pilot jumps a signal (Signal Passed at Danger -SPAD), which is the leading cause of train collisions. This system can alert the loco pilot and take control of the brakes and bring the train movement to a halt automatically. When it notices another train on the same line within a prescribed distance.
 
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that ‘Kavach’, the anti-collision test should be conducted by the Indian Railways, to avoid rail accidents. He held an on-site inspection near Secunderabad on 4 March 2022.
 
The main objective of Kavach technology
This is meant to provide protection by preventing trains from passing the signal at Danger (Red) and avoiding a collision. KAVACH activates the train braking system automatically if the driver fails to control the train as per the speed restrictions.