KAVACH Anti-Collision System

Why is it in News?

• December 2025: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Lok Sabha that:
  • KAVACH has been fully commissioned on over 2,000 km of the Indian Rail network.
  • Consequential train accidents reduced by ~90% (from 135 in 2014 to 11 now).
• Comes amid:
  • Recurrent concerns on rail safety.
  • Push for indigenous, tech-driven accident prevention.
  • Expansion under Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat vision.

Relevance

• GS III:
  • Infrastructure: railways, public safety systems.
  • Science & technology: indigenous innovation, ATP systems.

What is KAVACH? 

• KAVACH is India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.
• Objective:
  • Prevent train collisions due to human error.
• Developed by:
  • Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO).
  • In collaboration with Indian industry.
• Comparable to:
  • ETCS (Europe), PTC (USA) — but much cheaper.

What Problems Does KAVACH Address?

• Human errors by:
  • Loco pilots.
  • Station masters.
  • Signal misinterpretation.
• High-risk scenarios:
  • Signal Passed At Danger (SPAD).
  • Head-on collisions.
  • Rear-end collisions.
  • Overspeeding.
• Limitation of legacy signalling systems.

How Does KAVACH Work? (Core Architecture)

KAVACH is a real-time, fail-safe system built on continuous communication.

Five Major Components

• On-board unit (Loco KAVACH):
  • Installed on locomotives.
  • Applies automatic braking if danger detected.
• Track-side equipment:
  • Along tracks to relay movement authority.
• Station KAVACH:
  • Integrated with interlocking & signalling.
• Telecom network:
  • Optical Fibre Cable (OFC).
  • Telecom towers.
• Central data systems:
  • Real-time monitoring & diagnostics.

Operational Features

• Automatic braking when:
  • Train overshoots signal.
  • Collision risk detected.
  • Speed exceeds permissible limit.
• Continuous loco-to-loco & loco-to-station communication.
• Works even in:
  • Fog.
  • Low visibility.
• Designed for:
  • High-density mixed traffic (passenger + freight).

Current Implementation Status (as per Govt)

• >2,000 km fully commissioned.
• 7,129 km OFC laid.
• 860 telecom towers installed.
• 767 stations connected to data centres.
• 3,413 km trackside equipment deployed.
• 4,154 locomotives equipped.
• ~40,000 staff trained.
• Expansion pace described as “very fast”.

Why is KAVACH Considered Strategic?

• Safety dividend:
  • Sharp fall in consequential accidents.
• Indigenous technology:
  • Reduces import dependence.
• Cost-effective:
  • ~₹50 lakh per km (far cheaper than global ATP systems).
• Scalable:
  • Designed for India’s vast and diverse rail network.
• Employment & skilling:
  • Large-scale technician training.

Challenges & Limitations

• High upfront capital cost for pan-India rollout.
• Requires:
  • Dense telecom infrastructure.
  • Precision mapping & calibration.
• Integration with:
  • Multiple signalling systems across zones.
• Not yet universal across:
  • All routes.
  • All locomotives.

Policy & Governance Angle

• Linked schemes:
  • Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (station modernisation).
• Governance challenge:
  • Upgrading safety without suspending rail operations.
  • India handles ~7.5 crore passengers daily.
• Minister highlighted:
  • Unlike other countries, India cannot shut rail services for years.

Conclusion

KAVACH is India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection system that uses real-time communication to automatically prevent train collisions, significantly improving rail safety while reinforcing technological self-reliance.

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