North Central Railway (NCR) is set to commission the Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System on the 190-route km stretch between Prayagraj and Kanpur (both stations excluding) within the coming week.
The commissioning follows a period of exhaustive technical and field trials designed to ensure the system’s absolute reliability. Key highlights of the testing phase include:
• Diverse Configurations: Trials were successfully conducted using WAP-7 locomotives with 8, 16, and 22 LHB coach configurations.
• High-Speed Rakes: The system was rigorously tested with 20-car Vande Bharat rakes to assess performance under high-speed conditions.
• Passenger Trials: Over 20,000 kilometres of passenger trial runs have been completed, including consistent performance on the Chauri Chaura Express (Train No. 15003/15004).
This implementation will enable elimination of human error and the enhancement of operational efficiency on one of NCR’s most critical sections.
Kavach is an indigenously developed electronic system that provides a safety shield for train operations. The system is engineered to prevent SPAD (Signal Passing at Danger): Automatically intervene if a pilot overlooks a red signal.
It facilitates automatic braking, that is, it initiates emergency braking if the loco pilot fails to control the speed as per specified limits or in the event of potential head-on collisions. It also enhances Real-time Monitoring with provision of continuous updates about the locomotive’s speed and braking distance requirements.
