Siliguri: In a significant move to enhance rail safety, the North East Frontier Railway (NEFR) has announced plans to install the advanced 'Kavach 4.0' system on a 2,000-kilometre railway stretch to reduce the risk of train accidents, a senior official said.
This decision follows a series of recent mishaps, including the tragic collision between the Kanchenjunga Express and a freight train in June 2024, near Siliguri in Phansidewa block.
The installation of 'Kavach 4.0,' a cutting-edge Indigenous Automatic Train Protection System (IATP), is set to begin in early 2025. The project will cover the railway line from Malda Town in West Bengal to Dibrugarh in Assam.
According to North East Frontier Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the 1,966 km stretch will be fully equipped with this advanced safety technology. Sharma said, "Passenger safety is the primary focus, and the installation of Kavach 4.0 will significantly minimise the risk of accidents. It will be installed in 10,000 passenger and freight trains and locomotives of the country."
What is Kavach 4.0?
Kavach 4.0 is an advanced iteration of India's indigenous train protection system, developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation under the Ministry of Railways. The system uses a high-level Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4), which ensures greater reliability and precision in accident prevention. It automatically detects red signals, alerts the train driver, and, if necessary, applies the brakes to reduce speed, preventing collisions in cases where the driver fails to act.
The system was first successfully tested in a pilot project on a 108-kilometre section between Kota and Sawai Madhopur under the West Central Railway's Madhupur section in 2024. Following its success, the Ministry of Railways decided to expand its installation across the country. Kavach 4.0 will be deployed in 10,000 passenger and freight trains and locomotives nationwide.
Sharma noted, "The installation of Kavach 4.0 on the Malda to Dibrugarh stretch via New Jalpaiguri is vital to improving safety on this route. The route is crucial for the movement of passengers and goods in Northeast India, and this advanced tech will play a significant role in reducing the risk of accidents."
