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Kavach 4.0 tenders to be issued for 20,000 locomotives for 2024
Industry News- Aug 12,24
The initial tenders cover the Delhi-Chennai and Mumbai-Chennai routes, totalling 3,300 Rkm, as well as key automatic sections spanning 5,000 Rkm.
The Union Ministry of Railways is set to accelerate the deployment of the latest Kavach 4.0 anti-collision system, with plans to issue tenders for its installation in 20,000 locomotives this year. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that two large tenders, each for 10,000 locomotives, will be issued soon, with the goal of finalising one by October. This initiative follows Kavach 4.0's approval by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
Vaishnaw outlined that the project will also cover 3,000 Rkm of railway track and that existing systems will be upgraded to Kavach 4.0. “Our objective is to ensure comprehensive coverage, including various geographical areas and types of locomotives. Within four years, Kavach will be installed on 20,000 locomotives,” he stated.
The initial tenders cover the Delhi-Chennai and Mumbai-Chennai routes, totalling 3,300 Rkm, as well as key automatic sections spanning 5,000 Rkm. Additionally, a separate plan will address Kavach installation at around 8,000 stations to enhance communication between trains and stations.
The push for Kavach 4.0 has gained urgency following the Kanchenjunga train accident in June 2024, which highlighted the system's absence on crucial routes. This was the fourth major train accident in the past year, including the deadly Balasore crash in June 2023, where Kavach was also missing.
Kavach is India’s indigenously developed automatic train protection system, declared as the national ATP system in 2020. Its rollout has been slow, with current coverage at just 2% of the railway network, deployed on 1,465 Rkm and 144 locomotives on the South Central Railway.
Challenges include industrial capacity constraints, though Railway Board Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti reported progress in August 2023.
Vaishnaw noted significant improvements in manufacturing capacity, with five domestic companies now capable of producing Kavach systems. “We have sufficient capacity to meet the demand. In the upcoming tenders, there will be no cap on bids, and price discovery will proceed naturally,” he said.
(Business Standard)
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