Bhubaneswar: In a significant boost to railway safety infrastructure, Indian Railways has approved the installation of the indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, ‘Kavach’, across 631 route kilometres of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) network.
The move is aimed at enhancing train safety, improving operational efficiency, and reducing the risk of collisions through advanced automatic train protection technology.
Six Key Railway Sections Covered
According to the Ministry of Railways, the Kavach system will be deployed on six important railway corridors under the East Coast Railway zone:
- Baghuapal – Budhapank
- Haridaspur – Paradeep
- Khurda Road – Balangir
- Naupada – Gunupur
- Lanjigarh Road – Junagarh
- Bobbili – Salur
These routes play a crucial role in both passenger transportation and freight movement across Odisha and adjoining regions.
How Kavach Enhances Railway Safety
Kavach is an indigenously developed train protection system designed to automatically apply brakes when a locomotive pilot fails to respond to signals or overspeed warnings.
The technology helps prevent train collisions, signal-passing-at-danger (SPAD) incidents, and overspeeding, making railway operations significantly safer.
With real-time communication between locomotives, signalling systems, and railway stations, Kavach acts as an additional layer of safety for train operations.
Benefits for Passenger and Freight Operations
Railway officials said the implementation of Kavach on these strategic routes will improve safety standards while ensuring smoother and more efficient train movement.
The project is expected to benefit:
- Passenger train operations
- Freight transportation services
- High-density railway corridors
- Industrial and port connectivity routes
- Operational reliability across the East Coast Railway network
Sections such as Haridaspur-Paradeep and Khurda Road-Balangir are particularly important for freight traffic, while several of the approved routes serve thousands of passengers every day.
Part of Indian Railways’ Safety Modernisation Drive
The approval forms part of Indian Railways’ nationwide initiative to expand Kavach coverage across major rail corridors.
The Railway Ministry has been steadily increasing the deployment of the system on high-density and strategically important routes to strengthen railway safety and support future network expansion.
Officials noted that the addition of Kavach to the East Coast Railway network will contribute significantly to safer, smarter, and more reliable rail operations in Odisha and neighbouring regions.
As Indian Railways continues its modernization programme, the expansion of Kavach remains a key component of its vision to build a technologically advanced and accident-free railway network.
