Train accident: Railways says Odisha route didn't have Kavach safety system. What is Kavach?

Train accident: Railways says Odisha route didn't have Kavach safety system . What is Kavach?

Hours after the massive triple train collision in the Balasore district of Odisha, the Railways said that there was no 'Kavach' system on the route, which might have helped in stopping the fateful accident on Friday evening.

The tragic accident, which is one of the worst railway accidents in many years, had once again brought back focus on train safety systems. On Saturday morning, while visiting the accident site, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered a high-level probe panel to look into what exactly happened before the two passenger trains on different lines derailed and collided.  

He said the exact reason for the mishap would only be ascertained after the investigation report.  

Later Amitabh Sharma, railways spokesperson, on Saturday, said the Kavach system was not available on this route.  

“The rescue operation has been completed, now we are starting the restoration work. Kawach was not available on this route,” said Amitabh Sharma, Railways Spokesperson.

Following the mishap, Opposition leaders and experts have been asking about the use of the Kavach system, which was introduced in March 2022 to enhance the safety of train operations.  

The Ministry of Railways had announced that the system as a significant step towards the safety of trains. Developed in collaboration with three Indian vendors by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Kavach was adopted as the National ATP System for Indian Railways.  

Trinamool's Saket Gokhale was the first one to react. He asked why only 2 per cent of the total railway routes were brought under Kavach. He claimed that the safety system was a repackaging of the anti-collision device proposed by Mamata Banerjee when she was the railway minister.

Reacting to the fateful accident and the use of the Kavach system, industrialist Anand Mahindra said a thorough initiative is required to examine if Kavach needs any ‘scope enhancement’.

"Many have been asking this question.  The Railways do have an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System called Kavach, developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO). Apparently it hadn’t been installed on the route in which this accident occurred. So perhaps an initiative is required to examine if Kavach needs any ‘scope enhancement’ and then provide resources to install it on a war footing throughout the network," Mahindra tweeted.

However, experts told India Today that Kavach could not have averted the tragic Balapore accident.  Sudhanshu Mani, the brain behind Vande Bharat Express, on Saturday said Kavach could not have averted the tragic Balapore accident. He also emphasised on the need to overhaul railway track infrastructure in India.

"Kavach couldn't have stopped this accident. Prima facie this does not look like a case of signalling failure. The root cause looks like the derailment of the first train. The government should investigate why the first train was derailed,” Sudhanshu Mani said.

“The Coromandel Express driver could not have pulled the brakes when he saw the obstruction as the train was running at high speed,” he added.

What is Kavach?

Developed by the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) in association with the Indian industry, Kavach is a cutting-edge electronic safety system that can assist locomotive pilots in avoiding Signal Passing At Danger (SPAD) and overspeeding.

Besides, it also provided support for train operations during adverse weather conditions such as dense fog. By automatically applying brakes, when necessary, the system ensures better control over train speed and prevents potential accidents.

Kavach not only helps locomotive drivers to avoid missing danger signals and control speeding, but it also ensures trains run safely in low-visibility conditions.

Railway Minister Vaishnaw had personally tested the 'Kavach' system and tweeted about its extension use. "Rear-end collision testing is successful. Kavach automatically stopped the locomotive before 380 m of other locomotive at the front," Vaishnaw tweeted in March 2022.

Trials of Kavach were conducted on the Lingampally–Vikarabad–Wadi and Vikarabad–Bidar sections of the South Central Railway.  

The Centre, which developed Kavach at Rs 16.88 crores, planned its rollout on the New Delhi–Howrah and New Delhi–Mumbai sections, with a target completion date of March 2024.