MADURAI: The Kavach (anti-collision system for trains) has not been installed on trains in the Madurai division, Indian Railways stated in a reply to a query filed by TNIE under the RTI Act.
In the quest for safer and more efficient train journeys, Indian Railways had unveiled Kavach, a state-of-the-art Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system to provide an unyielding layer of protection, ensuring the highest safety standards for train operations.
The ATP is a train safety system designed to ensure that a train’s speed remains within the limits set by the signalling system. It continuously monitors the train’s speed and automatically enforces compliance with permitted speed restrictions. If the train exceeds the allowed speed or fails to respond to specific signal aspects, ATP promptly activates the emergency brakes to bring the train to a stop.
The Southern Railway in 2024 had stated that the Kavach system would be installed in a phased manner for 2,216 km of tracks across the state and Kerala. However, it is yet to be provided in many trains in the Madurai division.
A retired staff from the Madurai railway division said that the importance of installing Kavach is being given to other divisions. The railway minister had announced Kavach 5.0 for Mumbai suburban trains, whereas the division has not yet received a single version of Kavach.
Recalling the importance of Kavach for the Madurai division, he said, a near-miss accident occurred near Thirumangalam in Madurai when two passenger trains were on a collision course in 2019.
Human error is unavoidable, he said adding, the division, though, has many double line sections; it still has single line sections too, like Madurai-Rameswaram, Madurai-Bodi, Tiruchendur- Tirunelveli, Tirunelveli-Sengottai-Kollam, Sengottai-Virudhunagar, Dindigul-Palani-Pollachi-Coimbatore, and Manamadurai-Trichy.
The railways should provide funds to the Madurai division, like how they provide funds for other works. The division may take a call and install the Kavach.