Odisha Train Accident: Kavach Anti-Collision Technology Was Not Available On The Route, Says Railway Spokesperson

The installation of Kavach train collision avoidance system is currently ongoing on Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes and the technology was not available on the route in Odisha where three train-crash took place on Friday night, according to a railway official.

Kavach has been designed to assist locomotive pilots in avoiding Signal Passing At Danger (SPAD) and over speeding while also providing support for train operations during adverse weather conditions such as dense fog.

By automatically applying brakes when necessary, the system ensures better control over train speed and prevents potential accidents.

Trials of Kavach were conducted on the Lingampally–Vikarabad–Wadi and Vikarabad–Bidar sections of South Central Railway, covering a distance of 250 kilometres.

Following successful trials, three vendors were approved for further developmental orders on the Indian Railways network.

The rollout of Kavach is planned on the New Delhi–Howrah and New Delhi–Mumbai sections, with a target completion date of March 2024, reports Livemint.

"The rescue operation has been completed, now we are starting the restoration work. Kavach was not available on this route," Amitabh Sharma, Railways Spokesperson was quoted by ANI as saying on the train accident in Odisha.

"Kavach is route-specific and at present the installation process of the technology is ongoing on Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Bombay routes. This route from Kharagpur to Balasore-Cuttack (on which the accident occurred) didn't have the technology," he added.

The tragic collision involving two passenger trains (Chennai-bound Coromandel Express and Yashwantpur-Howrah Express), and a goods train occurred near Bahanaga Bazar Station in Odisha’s Balasore around 7 pm on Friday.

Over 238 bodies that were buried under the derailed trains have been recovered so far, while over 650 injured have been rushed to the hospitals.