KAVACH – An Indian Automatic Train Protection System

Development, Challenges and Some Solutions

G. K. Dwivedy, IRSSE, PCSTE

Priya Agrawal, IRSSE, DY.CSTE/Project
South Central Railway

ABSTRACT prevent dangerous train collisions caused due

to human errors or limitations and equipment
In order to improve the quality of life of 1.3 failures by providing additional layer of
billion population, Government of India has safety in the train operations. It also provides
aimed to build a 5 trillion dollar economy by assistance to Loco Pilots by means of real-
2024. Digitization of economy as one of the major time display of signaling related information
contributors, an efficient transport infrastructure such as Movement Authority, Target Speed,
has been identified as an enabler in attainment of
Target Distance, and Signal Aspects etc. in
this objective. Indian Railways (IR) with its
National Rail Plan, has taken policy initiatives to Loco Pilot’s cab, which is required at
increase the modal share of the Railways in enhanced speed beyond 120 KMPH.
freight transportation to 45% by 2030 by
modernization of its infrastructure. In addition, IR 2 WORKING PRINCIPLE
is the lifeline for 13 million passengers travelling
The system works on exchange of signaling
daily on its network. Safe train operations not
information between station interlocking and
only improve the productivity of its fixed and
locomotive over a radio network using 5 spot
moving infrastructure but make it cost effective
frequencies in UHF range. The absolute location
also. Development and deployment of indigenous
information is relayed from trackside to
Automatic Train Protection System christened as
locomotive through small radio frequency
KAVACH is a step in this direction.
identification tags installed on track. The figure 1
below shows the schematic of working of system.
This paper aims to present an overview of
Way side KAVACH (stationary) unit interfaces
KAVACH system, different phases through its
with existing interlocking and collects information
development, and experience of Indian Railways
about signal aspect, point status and track
during first field deployment, lessons learned the
occupancy data. The onboard unit updates its
easy and hard way and way forward to improve
current position with the help of Radio Frequency
the system further. This paper also suggests
Identification Tags (RFID tags) installed on the
improved project execution strategies for a SIL 4
track. Based on signaling information, current
system, to be adopted by Indian Railways for
position of locomotive (received over radio), and
expeditious deployment of KAVACH over the
track profile data (such as speed and gradient), the
major routes of Indian Railways.
way side KAVACH unit calculates the movement
authority and transmits the same to onboard
1 INTRODUCTION system over radio link. Based on this information
With the plan to enhance the speed potential of received from way side, the on board unit
rail network and with increasing number of trains supervises train speed and actuates braking if the
over Indian Railways network, implementation of loco pilot fails to maintain the train speed within
Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system has the permissible speed limits. The critical events
become a sine qua non for ensuring safety of from locomotive are sent to Central monitoring
trains. system through GSM communication channel for
monitoring purpose. Global Positioning System is
used for time synchronization between Wayside
and On board KAVACH systems.
KAVACH is an indigenously developed
Automatic Train Protection System which aims to
 Figgure 1: Working of KA
AVACH systtem

2.1 SA
AFETY FEA
ATURES  Preventionn of collisionn between tw
wo
Locomotives equippedd with functiional
KAVACH is able to prrovide the foollowing safeety
H
KAVACH
features oveer the existinng train workking systems in
 Roll Backk/Roll Forwaard Protection
n
place:
 Automaticc whistling aat Level Crosssing Gates
 Continnuous updatee of Movemeent Authorityy
 SoS Messsages during emergency situations
s
with display
d of siggnal aspects in
i Driver
 Computattion of Train Length
Machiine Interfacee
 Shunting Limits Validdation
 Continnuous monitoring of speeed
 Centralizeed live monittoring of Traain
 Prevenntion of SPAD (KAVA
ACH stops the
t
movemennts through N
NMS
train before
b the siggnal)
 Speedd Restrictionss at turnouts 3 DEV
VELOPM
MENT
 Adherrence/Complliance of Perrmanent Speeed Thhe developmment of KAV VACH system m has been a
jo
oint effort off multi-disciiplinary team
ms of Indiann
Restriictions Railways
R andd Original EEquipment Manufacturer
M r
 Adherennce/Compliaance of Tem
mporary Speeed (O
OEM) partneers involved. In line witth the visionn
off Hon’ble Prime Miniister of Atm ma Nirbharr
Restricttions (under trial) Bharat, it wass very much clear from th he beginningg
th
hat the inddustry partnners involv ved in thiss
deevelopment for commerccial productiion are Indiaa
based firms. With this background, a draft section of South Central Railway in 2012.
function requirement specification were designed Multiple iterations were done in close
through the process of open Expression of Interest coordination with all the stake holders involved
by multi-disciplinary team at RDSO (Research both at RDSO and field to refine the specification
Design and Standards Organization), the R&D before full fledge development could start. The
arm of Indian Railways and proof of concept was various stake holders involved in the development
demonstrated in lab as well as in a small trial are shown in Table 1
section length of 8kms in Mantatti - Nawandgi

Function RDSO Zonal Railway

Signal Directorate
Design & Approval of KAVACH Signal & Telecom
Telecom Directorate
Design & Approval of RFID tag fixing
Track Directorate P-Way
on track
Design & Approval of Radio
Bridge Directorate Bridge
communication tower
Interface of On board KAVACH with Motive Power/ Loco/ EMU Locomotives (Electrical &
onboard systems Directorate Mechanical)
Repercussions to Railway General and
Traffic Directorate Operating
Subsidiary rules

Table 1: Stakeholders involved in KAVACH development

Once the draft specification was finalized in early successive bidders were awarded
2013, development orders were awarded by package in order of their bidding, at the
RDSO for Design, Development, Supply, and trial rate of lowest bidder.
of Train Collision Avoidance System with multi-
 The activities through the contract itself
vendor interoperability features in 2013. It was
involved Research & Development
important that the system offered by different
(R&D) which incorporated
vendors shall be compatible with each other to
improvement and modifications in the
avoid single agency dependency and promote
product and finalization of specification
competition, so multi-vendor system
accordingly for the purpose of up
interoperability was the key criteria during
gradation, improvement and
development. The bidders were to be Indian
compatibility requirements during the
manufacturers and shall have carried out design
course of repeated trials.
and development of software embedded control
systems with its field trials in the field of Train  The modifications were to be done
Protection or Train Collision Avoidance or without any additional cost.
indigenous manufacturer of software embedded
Railway Signaling products such as Electronic  Once the system was developed by
Interlocking (EI), Single Section Digital Axle multiple vendors, interoperability test
Counter (SSDAC), Multi Section Digital Axle were conducted in RDSO by first
Counter (MSDAC), Data loggers for logging simulating the set up in the Lab at
signaling events, Solid State Block Proving Axle RDSO and thereafter the interoperability
Counter (SSBPAC) and Universal Fail-Safe Block test were conducted in the field.
Interface (UFSBI). Some key features of the  Since it was joint development of OEMs
development contract were as follows: and Indian Railways, the products so
 The contract for the development developed should have joint Intellectual
section of 250 route km in South Central Property Rights (IPR) of RDSO and the
Railway was distributed into 3 packages tenderers who have been awarded the
with 50%, 30% and 20% distribution tender.
respectively to develop multiple vendors  For any export of the equipment during
and test interoperability among them. 10 years period from the date of
 The lowest bidder was awarded the acceptance & approval of the system,
biggest package (50% of work) and 2% of the total payment received against
 supply of TCAS shall be shared as To develop the confidence in the system, it was
royalty with RDSO. essential that KAVACH equipped locos are
hauled in KAVACH fitted territory. Indian
After joint efforts of OEMs, RDSO and South
Railways have a mixed traffic on the same track
Central Railway, the commercial system was
and so choice of locomotives for fitment of
developed and deployed in the field during 2014-
onboard KAVACH system is equally important.
16 and went under extensive trials from 2015-
The locomotives and their home sheds was to be
2018. Trials were also conducted to check multi-
chosen in such a way that there is always a closed
vendor interoperability with track side,
circuit operation of the locomotives in the
locomotive and stationary KAVACH equipment.
KAVACH territory. It was important to first
After 4 years of extensive trials, and assessment
determine the number of passenger train running
by an RDSO approved Independent Safety
in the chosen section, their associated loco links
Assessor, the system was finally approved by
and loco sheds to estimate the quantity of on
RDSO in 2018-2019.
board KAVACH that should be deployed to reap
Now further commercial deployment of maximum benefits. Further, type of brake
KAVACH system has been planned and one work interfaces used in different loco types, space
for deployment of KAVACH in 1200 route km in availability in locomotives, their residual life also
South Central Railway is in progress and tender require careful evaluation before estimating loco
for further works are also invited by other zonal KAVACH requirements.
railways.
To bring uniformity in KAVACH implementation
all over Indian Railways and to ease the process
4 CHALLENGES IN of understanding the detailed estimate, some basic
IMPLEMENTATION AND rules for estimation have been framed in line with
SOLUTIONS DEVISED RDSO specification RDSO/SPN/196/2012
version 3.2 and Technical Advisory Notes
Implementation of KAVACH involved many STS/E/TAN/5001 version 1.0 and SIGOTCAS
challenges right from the stage of planning till the (TAN)/01/2021 version 2.0. These rules are quite
stage of system installation and concluding trials helpful in setting the estimate requirements at the
to put the system operational for commercial use. early stage of the project. These design
Some of the challenges faced are summarized considerations help in estimating the requirements
below: of different signaling interfaces and quantity of
4.1 Planning different sub systems required to implement the
project. To ease out the survey process, a standard
Being an advanced signaling technology, there questionnaire has been prepared by South Central
was lack of specific knowledge among the Indian Railway. Any site engineer can now provide
Railway Men and it was realized while preparing required details for estimate preparations. These
detailed estimate. KAVACH interfacing survey formats have also proven very helpful in
requirements with the existing signaling system initial kick start of execution of work once the
for correct estimation of signaling items such as contract is awarded.
cables, relays, power supplies, surge protection,
space and other requirements was essential. The Loco planning definitely requires early
KAVACH system works on wireless radio involvement of all stake holders involved in train
communication through radio antennas mounted operations and this exercise shall be done at a
on towers. Estimating the desired range of zonal level depending upon traffic dynamics of
communication over a geographical section was the route planned for KAVACH.
very vital to determine the system installation
requirements such as Tower design, Tower 4.2 Tendering
location and height, Stationary KAVACH Vs KAVACH work was of new nature and hence the
Remote Interface Unit in Automatic Signaling existing definitions of technical and financial
Territories and in regions where Interlocked Level eligibility criteria of standard railway contracts
Crossing Gates and Intermediate Block Signals could not be applied. Special conditions suited to
are present. Geographical surveys along the track the KAVACH works requires approval of
were also required to estimate the requirements of definition of Single Similar work, Technical
RFID tags in station section and block section and eligibility criteria, Financial eligibility criteria at
to determine the requirement of towers, stationary apex level in zonal railways.
KAVACH, RIU, and RFID tags etc.
Being a high value tender, two packet system of major challenge in these activities is the time
tendering was adopted with reverse auction to get taken in coordination of different activities.
best prices from the bidders in the development Erection of tower is also a critical activity which
project. This involved conducting several pre-bid determines overall progress of project execution.
conferences to address the queries of the The tower design and factor of safety has to be
prospective bidders and issue addendum and carefully chosen depending on soil bearing
corrigendum to the tender as deemed fit. capacity of the land, wind velocity in the region.
Technical bid was opened and evaluated followed Availability of any high rise building nearby or
by financial bid and several rounds of negotiation any other communication intensive facilities such
were conducted before the award of contract. as airports is an added challenge to choice of
tower location and height. Excavation work using
As part of major shift from the past, the mode of
heavy machinery at far flung areas which are
tendering has now changed to Engineering,
prone to soil collapse, land allotments, availability
Procurement and Construction (EPC) for
of labor are some of the site relates challenges.
KAVACH tender. The experience of Indian
Railways in finalizing EPC tenders and executing Since coordination can start well in advance,
EPC contracts is very limited. Execution of EPC many of the activities such as WPC licensing with
contracts involves high complexity and Ministry of Communications, applications for
sophistication in the field of Railways. This SACFA clearance started well in the beginning of
requires experienced design engineers, expert the project during planning stage itself. The
technical staff and effective project management Ministry of Telecommunications has completely
personnel. Currently, different zones of Indian digitized the application filing process along with
Railways are sharing their experiences and payment gateway which has enabled quick filing
knowledge and working together to carefully of WPC license and SACFA clearance
design EPC tenders for KAVACH works. applications.
Tower and foundation design approval activities
4.3 Execution with Railway Civil Engineering counterparts
The execution of KAVACH works has different started well in advance and based on initial
components, each with its own set of challenges. survey, tower sites were classified into Green,
The execution activities can be broadly classified Amber, and Red based on difficulty in
into following categories: implementation so that focused attention can be
given to critical locations in later stage of
 Radio communication execution. Software tools were used to fine tune
 Design documents antenna heights using latitude, longitude
information. After close coordination with Civil
 Way side system engineering, tower test check formats, quality
 On board system assurance plans have been prepared which has
expedited the supervision work of tower erection.
4.3.1 Radio Communication Civil engineers at supervisory level possessing
adequate competency in civil foundations and
The components of radio communication involve steel structures were deputed under the
license from Wireless planning commission for administrative control of S&T department for
use of 5 spot frequencies for KAVACH working, authorized working. Based on the experience
approval of tower design depending on height and during first implementation, a shift in policy
wind speed, foundation as per soil bearing guidelines from each railway zone deciding its
capacity, tower location, SACFA clearance for own tower design to issue of standard tower
tower height, supervision of erection of tower and drawings for different heights and soil bearing
installation of necessary radio equipment. This capacity by RDSO has expedited design
requires lot of interdepartmental coordination approval/adoption process. Specific tower
within, as well as, outside Ministry of Railways. designs are needed only in very special
The inter dependencies for communication related conditions now.
activities is illustrated in Figure 2 below. The
 Figuure 2 Inter aggency dependdencies in Ra
adio communnication actiivities
TAAG-TIN nuumber allotm ment plan, RFID TAG G
4.3.2 Dessign Documents TIN lay out, Table of Coontrol, RFID D Tag Data,,
Similar to commissioni
c ing of any other
o signalinng In
nterface circcuits which define intterface withh
assets such as Electroniic Interlocking, KAVAC CH ex
xisting interrlocking (K KAVACH uses u stationn
has its own set of desiggn documentss which defiine in
nterlocking information to derive movementt
the rules of KAVACH H working. Some
S of theese au
uthority). Figgure 3 showws the inputs involved inn
documents include Statiion frequenccy plan, RFID D- vaarious designn deliverablees of KAVACCH.

Figuure 3 Desiggn deliverab

bles in KAVA
ACH

Since the teechnology iss new, the deesigner base to OEMs,

O there were
w instances when diffferent designn
check thesee designs is very limited. In compllex ru
ules were foollowed by different OEMsO whichh
yards havinng more than 100 rouutes, providing brrought nonn uniformitty in implementation..
KAVACH safety features, f d
duly meetinng Although
A som
me documennts were checked by thee
operational and yard coonstraints, is quite a design deesign office,, other requuired close coordination
c n
challenge. Further,
F due to involvemeent of multipple
with field due to com mplexities and
a limitation Brainstormingg sessions haave been orgganized withh
involved in implementation. alll stake hollders to finnd design solutions
s inn
co
omplex yardds. As a resuult of these efforts,
e moree
Extensive training
t sesssions were organized for f
th
han 500 desiggn documennts were apprroved withinn
design teamms to impartt knowledge of KAVAC CH
a year whicch has exppedited dep ployment off
system andd concepts involved in KAVAC CH
KAVACH
K in the next prooject over Soouth Centrall
design. Staandard guidelines for preparation
p of
Railway.
R
RFID TAG G TIN lay outt and Table of Control has h
been framed in line wiith RDSO sppecification to
maintain unniformity inn design acrooss OEMs. In 4..3.3 Way Side System
m
addition too this, a chhecklist for checking the t Different
D activvities involvved in comm
missioning off
drawings has
h been preepared. A prrocedure ordder Sttationary KAAVACH systtem at a way yside station,,
duly identiffying the ressponsibilitiess of executinng IB
B or LC gate is representeed in Figure 4
field unit annd design offfice has beeen prepared to
enable seaamless coorrdination wiith the fielld.

Figure 4 Acctivities invollved in comm

missioning off Stationary KAVACH
K (T
TCAS) system
m

The major challenges

c inn Way side commissioni
c ng in
nterface thus determines tthe quality of
o KAVACH
H
are surveyy for RFID D tags as this involvves in
nstallation.
complete suurvey along the track both b in station
Frrequent signnaling alterrations at site s due too
section andd block section. Meticuloous cable coore
vaarious infrasstructure worrks such as interlockingg
survey of alll types of caables for its spare capaciity
off new LC gaates, closure of LC gatess, shifting off
is required to avoid thhe most critical activity of
siignals, conveersion of keyy lock to mo otor operatedd
cable trenchhing, more soo in suburbann section fillled
pooints result in consequeent changes in way sidee
with drainaage, canals anda slum dw wellings along
KAVACH
K appplication loggic, demandiing repeatedd
the track. Since the system innterfaces wiith
FA AT testinng. This sometim
me delayss
existing signaling
s syystem, anyy failure of
coommissioninng of system m. Table 2 sh hows list off
associated signaling can lead to t failure of
so
ome signalinng alterationss that requirees respectivee
KAVACH functionalityy. The qualitty of signaling
allterations in KAVACH
K syystem.
 Nature signaling
S.No. Effect on KAVACH Resulting TCAS alteration
alteration
1 Shifting of signals Change in movement authority • Shifting/Placing of RFID
tags at site
2 Shifting of turnout Change in movement authority
• Alterations to Design
3 Interlocking of LCs Introduction of new signals and
documents and Station
change in movement authority
Application data
4 Insertion of Key locked Change in point conditions in • FAT & SAT testing
points KAVACH Table of control
• Dynamic loco trials
5 Modification of PSRs Change in section Speed supervision
data

Table 2 Signaling alterations requiring alterations in KAVACH

KAVACH work involves cable laying in station and relay contacts used for KAVACH to improve
area for connectivity to tower radio, OFC hut (For system availability and achieve desired RAMS
NMS) and for other power supply requirements. performance. All cables were laid in duplicate
Cable is also laid for shorter distance in block duly providing path diversity and high
section to connect nearby LC gate KAVACH availability.
Remote Interface Unit (RIU) to Stationary system.
To avoid disruptions in the KAVACH working,
In Automatic Signaling territory, RIU
KAVACH alterations shall commensurate with
connectivity is very critical and requires dark
signaling alterations. This can be achieved by
fibers with double ring protection arrangement to
making provisions of corresponding KAVACH
connect to nearest Stationary KAVACH system.
alteration in the signaling works. A proper record
The signal information of at least two/three
keeping system is required to log KAVACH
signals in overlap zone is required on either side
change requests for necessary KAVACH field
of stations for relaying the Movement Authority
alterations arising out of signaling alterations.
(MA) information for seamless transition of
Wherever possible, signaling works shall be
onboard KAVACH system from one station to
combined to avoid repeated alterations in
another during communication change over
KAVACH wayside system.
between stations. Installation of KAVACH RIUs
in Automatic Signaling territory is very much Further for automatic signaling territories,
dependent on the type of signaling interlocking Centralization is preferred signaling arrangement
arrangement adopted. In distributed signaling where signaling Information of Auto sections is
arrangement, RIUs are to be installed in location readily available at centrally located huts
box which results in poor maintainability, poor constructed every 3 to 5 kilometers. A detailed
accessibility and EMI/EMC issues. Instances of feasibility survey is required to ensure the
modem hanging also increase in such outdoor availability of space for accommodating the RIUs
installations, leading to intermittent failure of inside Auto huts or distributed location box,
RIUs and affecting KAVACH functionality. availability of reliable& uninterrupted power
supply, fetching signaling information and
To overcome these implementation challenges,
establishing OFC connectivity. RDSO is working
some of the solutions devised and implemented
to develop STCAS to STCAS direct connectivity
are as follows:
which will reduce the requirement of RIU. Direct
STCAS to Electronic Interlocking interface to
Drones were extensively used to carry out survey
reduce relay requirement has also been developed
in block sections to study track topography,
and currently under trial at 10 stations in South
mapping of absolute chainages for RFID
Central Railway.
placement, mapping of Permanent Speed
Restrictions etc. In station section, the
complexities of the yard are, high involving 4.3.4 On Board System
multiple lines and turn outs, and manual survey On board KAVACH system consists of several
was preferred. If sufficient spare healthy cable components which are installed at different places
pairs are available in brown field projects, the inside the locomotive. The figure 5 below shows
same were used to avoid fresh cable laying. these subsystems.
Sufficient redundancy were provided in cables
 Figure 5 Subsystems of On Board KAVACH system
Indian Railways fleet has a wide range of a multi-disciplinary team is required to coordinate
locomotives consisting both of diesel and electric, various activities involved.
passenger and goods type. The locomotives also
The KAVACH fitment and commissioning takes
vary on the basis of type of braking system used
approx. 7 days and holding the locomotives in
(such as IRAB, E-70, and CCB). On considering
loco shed for this long is not possible, as it can
these combinations, there are as many as 10
seriously affect train operations. The fitment
different types of electric locomotives and almost
schedule shall be carefully designed to avoid
10 different types of diesel locomotives that are
rework. Once the system is installed, Site
used to haul different train over the network of
Acceptance Testing is required to test the working
Indian Railways. In addition to this, there are
of Onboard KAVACH system and integrity of all
diesel and electric multiple units used for hauling
configuration parameters for both Onboard and
suburban traffic.
Stationary KAVACH system. This requires
Due to varying layout of placement of different conduct of trials. Due to non-availability of any
equipment in the same model of locomotive, a dedicated test track, the trials are to be conducted
standard layout for KAVACH fitment inside locos on open line tracks, where line capacity
cannot be made for locos and installation is constraints pose a serious challenge for
heavily dependent on availability of space in the availability of path. Trials for over a block section
locomotive which requires survey. There are often of average seven route kilometers can take as long
space constraints in the locomotive. as 5-6 hours. It is often difficult to create all the
scenarios/formations on the commercial track to
Indian Railways has mixed traffic on its tracks.
test different braking characteristics. The loco
For complete protection of its rolling stock and to
simulators available currently are very naïve and
ensure 100% safety, both passenger and goods
do not simulate all the features of the locomotive.
locomotives need to be equipped with KAVACH.
Further work is required in this area to address
Locomotives working with freight trains haul for
this issue.
longer distances and thus often go out of their
zonal jurisdiction for long periods. Even for The locomotives for KAVACH installation shall
passenger trains, the serving loco links are be carefully chosen in consultation with Rolling
dynamic and subject to change depending on Stock branch keeping in view the type of brake
several variables such as loco home shed, traffic interface used, kind of traffic hauled (passenger,
density in the route, change in train timings etc. freight, mixed), status of electrification of section
Locomotives occasionally are sent for periodic in which KAVACH equipped locos are planned to
overhauling where based on schedule type, be hauled, design of loco links and their serving
different subsystems are maintained. Given all loco shed, holding capacity of the loco shed,
these complexities, availability of locomotive for residual life of loco etc.
KAVACH installation is a big challenge for
The KAVACH installation plan shall align with
expeditious project execution and requires close
the locomotive overhauling schedules to avoid
coordination with rolling stock branch and hence
detention of loco links. To address the problem of
space constraints in locomotives, RDSO has been maintenance to need-based maintenance, the
working to issue a standard KAVACH fitment inertia to learn new technology and maintain the
plan based on loco type. Indian Railways is KAVACH system need to be addressed to reap
collaborating with KAVACH OEMs to develop a full benefits. Core teams have been formed for
compact and modular system to reduce space KAVACH to set up a comprehensive system of
requirements and bring more flexibility in installation, maintenance and training which focus
Onboard KAVACH installation. on imparting knowledge of KAVACH working to
various signaling and telecom groups, train crew,
It is important that the contracts in place shall
station masters and other stake holders involved.
provide flexibility to choose the type of brake
A dedicated KAVACH lab has been set up at
interface unit depending on loco type. There shall
Centralized Training Institutes and instructors
be provision for relocation/reinstallation of
have been trained in KAVACH working.
KAVACH equipment in case the loco is
designated for major overhauls or retirement. Over time, several measures have been taken to
Nomination of designated trained officials at loco fill the gaps identified in installations in the first
shed is paramount to spearhead the installation of green field project and improve system
onboard KAVACH system, performing pre- performance. Weak radio communication was
commissioning checks, duly ensuring adherence often been identified as the reason for system
to quality procedures. going to limited supervision mode. To improve
radio communication, height of tower in urban
Given the high traffic density of Indian Railways
areas has been increased and antenna alignment
and huge capital requirement,
adjusted. Radio surveys are scheduled on
development/nomination of dedicated test track
quarterly basis to test the signal strength in the
may not be possible immediately so it is
section. Gain of loco antenna has also been
suggested that dynamic trial plan should be laid
increased to improve the received signal strength.
out in advance in consultation with traffic
On the track side, Joint Procedure Order has been
department and extensive trials may be conducted
signed and issued between different railway
in available path to test the performance of
branches to protect the RFID tags on track during
system. In addition to this, the loco simulators
P-way works. Use of parallel relay contacts and
need to be developed further using advanced
development of Direct EI-KAVACH interface are
machine learning algorithms to simulate
some measures taken to avoid KAVACH
conditions of different load, section gradient,
malfunctions due to relay failures.
brake pressures and brake characteristics, hot
axle, dry and wet weather to enable maximum The Centralized Network Monitoring System
verification and validation in the labs, thereby (NMS) is used for monitoring of KAVACH
reducing the need for field trials. equipped trains and stations within the network.
The system is built on E1 interface and provides
4.4 Maintenance real time view of health of various subsystems of
stationary KAVACH system and generates
KAVACH is an intelligent modern technology prompts and messages in case attention is required
system with several advanced features such as: for any subsystem. Some important features of
 Automation of designs and test NMS are:
procedures  SMS alerts for RFID tag miss, brake
 In-built intelligence to prevent any application in locomotives.
wrong side operation  Real time health monitoring of radios
 Appropriate display of information and GPS sub systems of stationary
(static and dynamic) to Loco Pilots in KAVACH equipment
cab  Real time status of all signaling relays
 Real time health monitoring system interfaced with KAVACH and
generation of SMS, in case interface
 Centralized Network Monitoring System relay status from signaling, is not
provides real time display of KVACAH available with KAVACH system
equipped trains and other diagnostic
information.  Generation of exception reports and
fault messages – loco wise, station wise
Though these intelligent features allow the shift of
KAVACH maintenance regimes from routine
  Generation of speed profiles, track in fine tuning the deceleration coefficient
profile, KAVACH working mode of locomotives and reduce cases of
profile for particular loco trip undesired braking.
Though huge diagnostic data is available in NMS,  The KAVACH Report Generation tool is
the format of data needs further refinement to currently data intensive and requires lot of
make it more user friendly. Indian Railways is manual filtering. System has limited
working with KAVACH OEMs to improve the capacity to readily generate useful
user interface of NMS and build new features for performance reports. Improvement in
easy maintenance and generation of exception Network Management System has been
report for KAVACH system. undertaken to make it more user friendly
and relevant, in terms of performance and
There are some cases of undesirable braking as a
exception reports generation.
result of which the performance availability of
KAVACH system is currently, below the desired  Non-availability of user-friendly
RAMS availability levels. The braking algorithm diagnostic tools, flow charts and event/
needs to be fine-tuned to match with loco pilot error logs is making difficult to reduce the
driving characteristics to avoid advance/spurious down time of KAVACH system.
braking. Further some loco configuration
parameters which actuates braking, need  Development of Failure Reporting
refinement based on experience of loco pilots. As Analysis and Corrective Action System
the KAVACH technology gets implemented over (FRACAS) for KAVACH is the need of
more sections and more fleet of Indian Railways, the hour to address the issues cropping up
continuous effort is required to make the system and finding appropriate solutions with
compatible with the dynamic requirements of loco knowledge sharing as done for any
pilots, improve the performance of system, its developing system. This will also help
availability and maintainability. reduce MTTR and improve availability of
KAVACH as it plans to roll down over
5 THE WAY FORWARD major routes of Indian Railways.
The South Central Railway experience of  Finalization of proposed amendments in
KAVACH has given both the Railways and the General and Subsidiary Rules of Indian
OEMs a fair idea, about the complexities involved Railways regarding KAVACH operation.
in the design and implementation of any
 Setting up a change management system
Automatic Train Protection System. Sub optimal
to cater to all KAVACH related change
performance of KAVACH will add problems to
requests arising out of signalling
its users, maintainers and customers alike. The
challenges faced so far, have been a learning alterations and other infrastructure work.
experience to fill some vital gaps to improve  Building up competency among Railway
system efficiency and achieve desired RAMS Staff to own and maintain KAVACH
performance of the entire KAVACH system. through extensive training
Some challenges ahead that require coordinated
effort are: 6 CONCLUSION
 Complete standardization of Loco Fitment As the Indian economy grow, so grows the need
and Driver Machine Interface; Integration for transport. Indian Railways essentially require
of various Display units & machine induction of Automatic Train Protection systems
interfaces inside Driver Cab to reduce and several new technologies to allow safe and
overheads on Loco pilot high speed travel. The indigenous ATP system is
 Fine tuning of Braking profile to reduce not only expected to serve the promise of Self
spurious braking at turn outs. Some Reliance for Indian Railways, but it is also an
onboard KAVACH system configuration opportunity for Indian Railways to unlock its
parameters also need to be standardized to potential to export such technologies in global
maintain uniformity across OEMs. market. The proliferation of KAVACH requires
adoption of global standards for Quality and
 Development of advanced loco simulators Safety Assurance by both Railways as well as the
to reduce the need of field trials with Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers.
different locomotive types, brake interface
units and load formations. This will help
 Shri G. K. Dwivedy
belongs to Indian Railway Smt. Priya Agrawal
Service of Signal belongs to Indian Railway
Engineers (IRSSE) 1986 Service of Signal Engineers
batch and presently (IRSSE) 2007 batch and
working as Principal presently working as
Chief Signal & Deputy Chief Signal and
Telecommunication Engineer (PCSTE) of Telecom Engineer/Projects
South Central Railway. He is a graduate in in South Central Railway.
Electronics Engineering, a trained and qualified She has varied experience in Signaling &
Internal Auditor, Assessor (A1) for IRSE, London Telecommunication in Rail industry, working for
(UK) Licensing scheme and had been IRSE, over 14 years in areas of modern signalling
London, UK license holder as Design technologies including Automatic Train
Manager(S), Principles Designer(S) and certified Protection Systems, Axle Counters, Electronic
to be Responsible Design Engineer. Interlocking, UFSBIs etc. She has expertise in
Signal Design and is currently leading a team of
He is Member of the Institution of Railway Signal
design engineers for Project Organization of
Engineers (IRSE), London, UK since the year
South Central Railway. She also has experience in
2002 and Member of the Institution of Railway
Railway procurements, tendering, and budget
Signal and Telecommunication Engineers, India
matters and has spearheaded several Signaling
since 1992.
projects. She is an avid writer and has published
He has more than 34 years of experience in several articles in International Rail Industry
Railway Signalling and Telecommunication, Magazines. She has an MBA in Operations and
System Engineering, Planning, Project Execution, Strategy from Indian School of Business,
Maintenance, Technical Investigation, Train Hyderabad, M.Tech in VLSI Design from Indian
Operations anagement, Safety Management over Institute of Technology, Delhi and B.Tech in
Indian Railways and Signalling Design, Design Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Management, Training and Internal Auditing in
British Railways and High Speed signalling.