Kavach Installation to Begin Across C Railway and SECR on Fast Track.

In a move to enhance railway safety, Indian Railways has initiated multiple tenders for the installation of Kavach, an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection System (ATPS). Developed by the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian industry, Kavach aims to prevent accidents caused by human error and improve overall train safety.

As of August 2024, Indian Railways has already spent ₹1,217 crore on Kavach, with an additional ₹1,113 crore allocated for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The railway ministry has recently floated tenders to install Kavach across various divisions, including Nagpur, Solapur, Mumbai, Bhusawal, and Pune under Central Railway, and from Nagpur to Jharsugda under the South East Central Railway (SECR).

Vipul Suskar, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of SECR, confirmed that tenders for the survey, design, installation, testing, and commissioning of towers and related infrastructure between Nagpur and Jharsugda will be opened on November 25. Pre-bid meetings have already been conducted, and similar discussions are ongoing for various components of the project.

To ensure efficiency, the tenders for Kavach installation are being broken into components. For instance, tenders for tower installations are separate from those for equipment, allowing mobile tower firms to handle the task more effectively than equipment companies.

The SECR zone, which includes Bilaspur, Raipur, and Nagpur divisions, is one of the busiest for both freight and passenger trains. With heavy coal transport in the region, the area is prone to derailments and collisions, making the Kavach system vital for enhancing safety. Eleven key routes, including the Mumbai-Howrah-Nagpur-Jharsuguda corridor, have been identified for Kavach installation.

The ambitious project, which is expected to cost ₹260 crore for the Nagpur division alone, has already seen successful tests of Kavach on several routes. The rollout of Kavach across major corridors such as New Delhi-Howrah and New Delhi-Mumbai is planned to be completed by March 2025.

ET