Kavach, an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection System

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About Kavach(Train Collision Avoidance System )-

• It is India’s very own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which is named as Kavach or “armour”.
• It is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices installed in locomotives, in the signaling system as well the tracks, that talk to each other using ultra high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them. 
• One of its features is that by continuously refreshing the movement information of a train, it is able to send out triggers when a loco pilot jumps signal, called Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD), a grave offense in railway operations with respect to safety, and the key to accidents like collision. 
• The devices also continuously relay the signals ahead to the locomotive, making it useful for loco pilots in low visibility, especially during dense fog.
• It includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collision Device. 
• It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future. 

• The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level 4.

• It is designed to bring a train to a halt automatically when it notices another train on the same line within a prescribed distance.
• Trains will also stop on their own when the digital system notices any manual error like “jumping” of the red signal or any other malfunction.
• The ‘On-Board Display of Signal Aspect’ (OBDSA) is to help loco pilots check signals on board consoles.
• RFID tags are provided on the tracks and at the station yard for each track and signals for track identification, location of trains and identification of train direction.
• Once the system is activated, all trains within a 5-km range will halt to provide protection for trains on adjacent tracks.
• In the new avatar, India wants to position Kavach as an exportable system, a cheaper alternative to the European systems in vogue across the world. 
• While now Kavach uses Ultra High Frequency, work is on to make it compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and make the product for global markets.
• The Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO) in Lucknow along with private vendors are developing the system. 
• Once rolled out, it may be the world’s cheapest Automatic Train Protection System with the cost of rollout pegged at around Rs 30 lakh to 50 lakh per kilometer, a fourth of the cost of equivalent systems globally.
• In the next phase, the Kavach system will also be able to recalibrate as per temporary speed restrictions en route, something the system does not yet have.

• Kavach has been deployed on over 1,098 km and 65 locomotives in ongoing projects of the South Central Railway. 

• In future it will be implemented on 3000 km of the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors where the tracks and systems are being upgraded to host a top speed of 160 kmph.
• Further, over 34,000 km on the High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilized Network (HUN) of the Golden Quadrilateral have been included in its sanctioned plans. 

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