Kavach Version 4.0:
Indian Railways has approved the provision of Kavach Version 4.0 on over six hundred Route Kilometres of the Lucknow Division of North Eastern Railway.
- Kavach System is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system that provides Train Protection as well as Collision Prevention capabilities for trains.
- It was adopted as National ATP system in July 2020.
- It has been developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
- It operates through continuous real-time communication between trackside systems and locomotives using secure Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio antenna and track-mounted Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags.
- These tags provide precise train location, while wayside (stationary) units collect live data from station interlocking systems, including signal aspects, point positions, track occupancy, and route status.
- Key safety features:
- Detection and prevention of Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD): It automatically stops the train before the signal.
- Cab signaling with display of movement authority, target distance, speed, and signal aspects.
- Prevention of all types of train collisions: head-on, rear-end, and side-on.
- Continuous real-time updates to the locomotive.
- Automatic horn activation when approaching Level Crossing Gates.
- Emergency Stop (SoS) messages in critical situations.
- Centralized live monitoring of train movements through the Network Management System (NMS).
