Overview
- Central Railway’s Solapur Division has commissioned the Standard (non-signalling) KAVACH system on the 149.476 km Solapur–Wadi route and declared it ready for commercial operations after RDSO‑compliant trials.
- The installed system uses trackside RFID tags and continuous communication between KAVACH‑equipped locomotives and wayside equipment to locate trains and act to prevent head‑on or rear‑end collisions.
- Central Railway reported that the Signal & Telecommunication Project Unit installed and programmed 1,234 RFID tags on the section while at least one agency reported a 1,254‑tag count, a minor discrepancy that does not affect commissioning.
- KAVACH on the route provides automatic SOS alerts for unusual stoppages inside block sections and a manual SOS button for loco pilots, functions tested during extensive field trials conducted to RDSO standards.
- Separately, the Ministry of Railways approved a ₹206 crore project to roll out Kavach v4.0 over 680 route km in Northern Railway’s Delhi Division, a funding step that moves the programme from isolated pilots toward wider national deployment and could speed safety upgrades on busy corridors.