CHENNAI: Kavach 4.0, an automatic train protection system that prevents collision of trains, is set to be implemented in a 60 km stretch between Chennai Beach, Tambaram and Chengalpattu.
The work to bring Chennai - Arakkonam - Jolarpettai, and Chennai - Gudur sections has already been under way for the past year. With the Ministry of Railways’ announcement on Wednesday, all trains operating from Chennai will be brought under the protection system across three major sections. To further enhance telecommunication safety as part of Kavach, the railways has also approved installation of optical fibre cables along tracks in Chennai Beach - Chengalpattu section.
According to official sources, the Kavach system is planned to be implemented in 2,216 kilometres across Southern Railway routes, covering high-density and highly utilised networks, in a phased manner, with priority given to Vande Bharat routes. The project will be taken up along with the Jolarpettai-Erode section, for which `158.74 crore has been allocated, said an official release.
With 204 local services and 130 express trains running daily, the Chennai Beach - Tambaram - Chengalpattu section carries nearly 5 lakh passengers every day. The section has four lines from Chennai Egmore to Tambaram, with two dedicated slow lines for suburban trains and two for express services. However, beyond Tambaram, the section has only three lines. The Kavach system is expected to significantly enhance train safety in the Tambaram - Chengalpattu stretch, where trains operate in both directions on three lines.
As per the official documents, the Kavach system is designed to provide additional safety by preventing trains from crossing signals at danger (red) and avoiding collisions. It can automatically apply brakes if the loco pilot fails to control the train according to speed limits. It also helps prevent collisions between two trains or locomotives equipped with the system.
A senior official from Southern Railway said as the train moves, the RFID reader installed beneath the train or locomotive picks up data from the trackside RFID tags and sends it to the station control system via radio. “Based on this, the onboard system monitors whether the train is running within safe speed limits. If the speed exceeds the limit, it alerts the loco pilot for five seconds before taking further action,” added the official.