‘All trains to be equipped with Kavach 4.0 by Dec 2030’

Jaipur: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Tuesday said the one lakh kms of rail network across the country will be fitted with Kavach 4.0 by Dec 2030. Authorities have been instructed to promptly equip all trains with the system, he said.
The minister also participated in the trial run of Kavach 4.0 in a train between Sawai Madhopur and Sumerganj Mandi railway station in Rajasthan.
Earlier, Vaishnaw arrived at the Gandhi Nagar railway station in Jaipur, where he inspected the infrastructural development work at the station, including the air concourse of the station.
“Kavach was installed in many countries around 1980 and up to 1990. Since 2019, we have been on a mission to start it in our trains for better safety and precision. It will help avert accidents and alert locomotive pilots on any possible danger ahead,” he told TOI at Gandhi Nagar.
Adding, Indian Railways has been instructed to fit the Kavach 4.0 in total rail network of 1 lakh kms and in all the locomotives by December 2030, he said, “ Kavach 4.0 is designed to address communication issues under certain geographical conditions, including hilly, forested, coastal and desert areas”
On a question related to safety and incidents of mischief on the railway tracks, he said, “It is our top priority and nobody, including opposition parties, should politicise this issue. NIA, the state govts, and union govt are tackling the issue sternly.”
As many as 10,000 trains would be equipped with Kavach 4.0, he added.
During the trial run, the driver took the train to the speed of 130kmph on a section where the limit was 120 kms/hour, but Kavach controlled the speed for the entire caution zone.
The station master also sent a message of abnormalities in the section and Kavach automatically stopped the train. Kavach also automatically applied the horn while passing level crossings. The driver also attempted to cross a red signal, but Kavach didn’t allow.