Anti-collision technology ‘Kavach’ not available Coromandel route
The tragic Coromandel Express accident that took the lives of hundreds of innocent passengers could have been averted if the anti-collision Kavach was available on this route
HYDERABAD: The tragic Coromandel Express accident that took the lives of hundreds of innocent passengers could have been averted if the much-hyped anti-collision Kavach technology was available on this route. Amitabh Sharma, the railway spokesperson confirmed the absence of anti-collision technology on the busy route.
As per the initial investigation, the Bengaluru – Howrah Superfast Express derailed and crossed the adjacent track from where the Coromandel Express was passing through. Since all the trains derailed, Kavach technology didn't work in such cases. As the name suggests, Kavach was made to avoid head-on collisions between the engines of two trains. Another possibility is that the technology is not installed in this section, which might have helped the trains identify obstructions on the tracks to apply brakes immediately.
Incidentally, Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao in his tweet while expressing shock and grief over the tragic train accident, questioned the missing security devices, such as kavach that could have avoided such a collision.
How does Kavach work?
Kavach is a radio communication-based microprocessor and Global Positioning System technology. The anti-collision technology was developed in India to prevent train accidents effectively. This will reduce the chance of an error to the margin of a single error in 10,000 years. In more technical terms, this technology is known as the Train Collision Avoidance System or Automatic Train Protection System.
When two trains are approaching at the risk of colliding, the technology would enable them to access accurately each other’s course and initiate an ‘automatic’ braking action. The technology has received an SIL4 certification. The main aim of this technology is to bring down the number of rail accidents to zero. This technology uses a network of devices mounted on two trains moving toward each other to avoid a collision.
During the Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the protection of India’s 2,000 km railway network by Kavach technology. "As part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of the rail network will be brought under the indigenous world-class technology, Kavach, in 2022-23, for safety and capacity augmentation,” she had said.