At least 9 passengers died and over 40 others were injured after a goods train rammed into the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express from behind, on June 17.

As per reports, the railways' automatic train protection system, Kavach was missing on this route. 

What is Kavach?

Kavach is an automatic 'Train Collision Avoidance System' developed by Indian Railways, designed to prevent accidents caused by Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD), a leading cause of train collisions.

Kavach helps alert loco pilots, take control of the brakes, and automatically halt the train when it detects another train on the same track within a specified distance.

It helps avoid SPAD and over-speeding and assists in operating trains during adverse weather conditions such as dense fog. This system is expected to significantly improve the safety and efficiency of train operations.

How does it work? 

Kavach controls train speed by automatically braking if the driver fails to apply the brakes on time.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags are placed on tracks, station yard and signals for identifying tracks, locating trains and its direction. When the system is activated, all trains within 5 km stop to let the train on an adjacent track pass safely.

Currently, Kavach is in place on over 1,500 km of tracks. The Centre had planned to bring 2,000 km of rail network under Kavach during 2022-23 and aims to cover around 34,000 km of rail network.