The Ministry of Railways’ efforts to expedite the deployment of the Kavach anti-collision technology, amidst rising safety concerns, are being hampered by significant industrial capacity constraints, according to Anil Kumar Lahoti, the Chairman of the Railway Board.
“Kavach is already in operation across more than 1,465 route kilometres (rkm) with work ongoing for over 3,000 rkm. In addition, surveys are being conducted for 6,000 rkms. However, we are confronted with critical industrial capacity issues. We would prefer to roll it out much more quickly,” Lahoti stated.
Lahoti appealed to the industry to support the development of this indigenous automatic train protection system during his speech at the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India’s 7th International Conference – Rail Tech 2023: Innovative Technologies for Indian Railways, held today.
Senior railway officials report that there are presently four approved vendors for the implementation of Kavach, and they expect to approve two additional vendors shortly. Although various international firms possess the necessary expertise to develop similar technology, the objective is to encourage the Indian rail industry to enhance its capacity as much as possible.
At present, Kavach covers a mere 2 per cent of India’s railway network. Priority execution is being targeted on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes.
Questions were raised about the pace of implementation following the Balasore three-train accident, which brought the safety measures of the national transporter into focus. Although the accident, caused by multiple signalling and staff lapses, would not have been prevented by the technology, it has emphasised the urgency of the safety issue.
The senior railway bureaucrat also noted the need for domestic capacity building in other safety equipment, such as electronic interlocking systems, to bolster the national transporter’s safety push.
Lahoti also mentioned the Centre’s plan to revamp the rails on its track infrastructure. The goal is to replace the current rails with new ones featuring updated specifications and superior safety standards.