Overview
- Central Railway activated the Standard KAVACH Automatic Train Protection system on the 149.476 km Solapur–Wadi section after RDSO‑prescribed field trials were completed, with the division reporting the commissioning on Thursday.
- The Standard KAVACH deployment uses RFID‑based track identification and continuous locomotive–trackside communication to monitor train positions, prevent head‑on and rear‑end collisions, and generate automatic SOS alerts for unusual stoppages.
- Railway Board approval for a separate Rs 206 crore project will fund installation of Kavach Version 4.0 across 680 route kilometres in Northern Railway’s Delhi Division, covering the Rewari–Delhi and Shakurbasti–Bathinda corridors and feeder lines.
- Reports disagree on the exact RFID tag count installed on Solapur–Wadi (1,234 versus 1,254), but sources consistently confirm that tags were installed, programmed and tested as part of the RDSO validation process that cleared the section for operations.
- Kavach is an indigenously developed ATP system under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and its wider rollout aims to reduce reliance on manual signalling, improve safety for passengers and freight, and require linked investments in loco homing and maintenance capacity.