Take the gauntlet

News: Expanding the Kavach protection system should be a national priority, but it cannot be regarded a silver bullet.

1. Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in partnership with three Indian companies to improve railway safety.

2. It oversees train speed and helps train operator in identifying signals of danger. It automatically applies brakes if two trains come too close to each other.

3. It provides for real time monitoring of the position and speeds of train to reduce the possibility of collision.

4. It ensures emergency communication by transmitting SoS messages during critical situations.

5. It is an advanced electronic system which meets Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL 4) standards.