The Railways has set the target to upgrade the indigenous train collision avoidance system (TCAS) as a product for exports. The TCAS will be branded as “Kavach”.
Sources said to find a good market, the TCAS needs to have additional features matching global standards and to make it compatible in semi-high speed trains. Currently, TCAS is being installed as a pilot project in about 600 route km route
near Hyderabad.
Recently, in its presentation before the Prime minister, the railway ministry had set the target to commission TCAS on 800 km routes in 2021-22 and 4,500 route km by 2024. Sources said now with the new rail minister Ashwini Vaishnav identifying this as a top priority, the rollout is likely to be accelerated.
They added that to see TCAS finds takers in the world market that has to be tested on trains moving in the range of 180-200 kmph. Currently, in India, Vande Bharat is equipped to run at 160 kmph and can go up to a maximum of 200 kmph,
Tejas and Rajdhani are running on more than 130 kmph.
Sources said the railway ministry has set up a committee headed by a senior officer in the signalling department to submit the report to RDSO suggesting up-gradation of TCAS to compete in the world market.
The Indian Railways has started taking initiatives by improving tracks and the trains to increase the speed of mail/ express trains to run at 160 kmph in high-density routes and make the TCAS effective in 160 kmph-200 kmph train speed.
