'Kavach' to cover entire rail network in 6 years, train accidents down 80%: Ashwini Vaishnaw at Bharat Rising Summit

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rising Bharat Summit

Noting that train accidents have reduced by almost 80 per cent in the last 10 years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday exuded confidence that the ‘Kavach’ train protection system would be fully implemented along the country’s rail network in the next six years.

Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Vaishnaw said, "The response of the pilot was good... There has been a good progress. Work on implementing it in 10,000 Loco, along 15,000 km is underway. Many of the rich countries took about 20 years to cover their network, and I think we should be able to do it in six years."

India’s indigenously developed Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system is progressing towards large-scale deployment, following the approval of Version 4.0 by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in July last year.

Talking about Vande Bharat Express trains, Vaishnaw said they were better than some of the best trains in the country, in terms of acceleration, noise levels inside and the vibration levels. "...That's because the design has been done with a lot of thought in it."

On Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train, scheduled to be flagged off by PM Modi on April 19, Vaishnaw said, "It is a big dream of the country to connect Jammu and Srinagar via rail. PM Modi has dreamed this with a very strong resolve. This is a project which required tremendous tenacity, tremendous design work, lots and lots of engineering inputs were there. It's a very difficult project, but it is the political willpower of the PM that this project has been completed."

The inauguration, likely on April 19, will complete the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

The Kashmir version of Vande Bharat is equipped with climate-specific adaptations to provide advanced heating systems in sub-zero temperatures; the driver’s front look-out glass is embedded with heating elements for defrosting and to ensure clear visibility during harsh winters.