Railways successfully tests high-speed Kavach braking trial at 160 kmph. Check how it works

A breakthrough was achieved after Northern Central Railways successfully conducted recent trial to examine the efficiency of braking parameters of anti-train collision system Kavach in a semi-high speed engine at 160 kmph.

Developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the indigenious kavanch system can apply brakes automatically in case of an emergency when a train driver fails to act in time.

The Indian Railways is in the process of implementing this system across its network to enhance operational safety.


How was the test carried out?
WAP-5 which are used for pulling passenger coaches at 160 kmph and are used in trains like Shatabdi and Gatimaan Express was fitted with the Kavach system and operated on the Palwal-Mathura section at 160 kmph on January 19, said Prashashti Srivastava, PRO, Agra Rail Division.

The test carried out under the supervision of Kush Gupta, Deputy Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer, North Central Railway.

"The driver of the locomotive was asked not to apply brakes after observing a red signal ahead. We wanted to examine if Kavach would apply brakes on its own and bring the train to a halt before the signal," Srivastava said.

"The participating engineers and officials were happy to note that the locomotive stopped 30 metres before the red signal. It also met other safety parameters," she added.

The trial started at 10 am from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh and was completed by 1:20 pm in Haryana's Palwal in the down line direction as per the schedule. It was repeated in the Uttar Pradesh line direction from Palwal to Vrindavan between 2 pm and 3:35 pm, according to Srivastava.

The official has said that this process will be carried out on a locomotive with passenger coaches very soon.

The Agra Division has developed a complete Kavach network on the 80-km stretch between Mathura (excluding the station) and Palwal.

This involves the placement of RFID tags on railway tracks in station areas and other places, installation of stationary Kavach units at several places such as stations, and installation of towers and antennas along the tracks.

According to RDSO officials, a 125-km stretch in three parts between Delhi and Agra is the only stretch across the entire rail network where trains can run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

Trains run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph on all other sections in India.

The special track was laid here for India's first semi-high speed train Gatimaan Express, which was launched in April 2016.

About Kavach:
On December 30 last year, the Agra Division had conducted a similar trial to ascertain the efficiency of Kavach at 140 kmph and the outcome was encouraging.

According to the railways, the Kavach system is already functional in three sections on a 1,465-km route and in 139 locomotives in South Central Railway. However, a trial cannot be conducted on that route because of speed restrictions.

(with PTI inputs)