Hyderabad: Train operations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are set to become safer as the govt has decided to extend the Kavach network to cover 70% of the South Central Railway (SCR) zone. This state-of-the-art anti-train collision system has already been deployed along 1,465 kilometres of track on the Ankai-Nanded-Dharmabad-Nizamabad-Secunderabad-Kurnool City-Dhone-Guntakal, Parbhani-Parli Vaijnath-Latur Road-Bidar-Vikarabad, and Wadi-Vikarabad-Sanathnagar lines. Now, the govt has proposed rolling out Kavach on an additional 3,100 route km. The SCR has a 6,500 km rail network, 1,400 km of which are already operational with Kavach. Tenders have been issued to extend Kavach coverage to an additional 1,615 km on the high-density Balharshah-Kazipet-Vijayawada, Vijayawada-Gudur, Vijayawada-Duvvada, and Wadi-Guntakal-Yerraguntla-Renigunta sections, with the govt now sanctioning an additional 1,483 route km for Kavach coverage. Kavach 4.0“Kavach 4.0 is sanctioned for 4,655 route km over SCR. Kavach migration from Ver 3.2 to Ver 4.0 is completed, and trials are in progress in the Sanathnagar-Vikarabad section. Kavach field trials are also in progress in the Moula Ali-Raghunathpalli section of the Secunderabad division. At present, 202 locomotives, 136 stations, and 16 level crossing gates are equipped with Kavach,” said a senior official in SCR. Kavach provides protection by preventing trains from passing the signal at danger (SPAD) and preventing collisions. It automatically activates the train braking system if the driver fails to control the train in accordance with the speed restrictions. In addition, it prevents collisions between two trains or locomotives equipped with a functioning Kavach system. No accidents since 2020There have been no major train accidents in Telangana since 2020. The region’s most recent significant train accident occurred at Kacheguda Railway Station in 2019, when the Lingampalli-Falaknuma MMTS collided with the Kurnool-Secunderabad Hundry Intercity Express. The incident resulted in 15 passengers being injured and a loco pilot losing his life. According to railway officials, Kavach requires meticulous attention to detail and a significant amount of time to complete. This involves setting up various components along the tracks and on locomotives. Communication towers must be erected and GPS systems integrated into the infrastructure. Radio interfaces also need to be installed at stations, intermediate block signals and mid-section interlocked level crossings to ensure complete signal coverage.