KAVACH: At Rs 550 cr, ER to install train protection warning system for safe trips

KOLKATA: Eastern Railway is all set to bring in a state-of-the-art Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) styled as KAVACH to ensure safe and secure train trips in Bengal. According to sources, at the cost of Rs 550 crore by Eastern Railway, the warning system will be covering 327km in Howrah and Sealdah (including the suburban railways system).

KAVACH is operated with the help of radio technology and Global positioning systems, avoids the risk of collision by precisely accessing the course of two trains at 'collision risk'.

For example, if 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. While the technology has received a SIL4 certification, the main aim is to bring down the number of rail accidents to zero.

KAVACH will be implemented in two phases. The first phase—New Delhi- Howrah route from Howrah to Chhota Ambana under Eastern Railway— will be implemented at Rs 217 crore (scheduled to be commissioned by February 2024. The second phase covering 327 km of the entire suburban system will be brought under KAVACH at Rs 550 crore (scheduled to be commissioned by February 2026).

Meanwhile, Eastern Railway General Manager Arun Arora flagged off and handed over 17 motor cycles to divisions in presence of IG/RPF/ER and other senior officers of Eastern Railway on Wednesday. These motor cycles will be primarily distributed among intelligence units and outposts of RPF establishment throughout Eastern Railway to suffice the purpose of basic intelligence, detection of crime and better coordination between different units.