Central Railway Conducts First KAVACH Loco Trials in Solapur Division

Solapur, 15th September 2025: Central Railway successfully conducted the first loco trials of the indigenous KAVACH system in Solapur Division on 14 September 2025. The trials were led by Dharam Veer Meena, General Manager, Central Railway, on a 26-kilometre stretch between Dhavalas and Bhalwani stations.

The trials marked the first implementation of KAVACH on Central Railway and were aimed at enhancing railway safety and ensuring secure train operations. Present during the trials were Maninder Singh Uppal, Principal Chief Signal & Telecom Engineer, Central Railway, Dr. Sujeet Mishra, Divisional Railway Manager, Solapur Division, and other senior officers from headquarters and the division.

During the loco trials, key safety features of the KAVACH system were tested, including Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) at stop signals, Block Section SOS generation, Station Master SOS generation, and overspeed prevention at turnouts.

On the same occasion, the first KAVACH Simulation Lab and Training Centre of Central Railway at Kurduwadi was inaugurated along with a new Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) setup. The facility is designed to provide rigorous training and support for the implementation of advanced safety technologies.

The tender for implementation of KAVACH in Central Railway was awarded on 30 March 2025, and the successful trials within six months in Solapur Division have been noted as a significant achievement. Efforts of the Solapur Division in this regard were acknowledged.

Meena also inspected the renovated Loco Pilot and Train Manager Running Room with enhanced facilities, the Ultra Sonic Flaw Detection building, and an upgraded gang hut at Kurduwadi.

Earlier, on 25 August 2025, Central Railway achieved another milestone when the 50th locomotive fitted with the KAVACH system was flagged off at Electric Loco Shed, Kalyan. The Railway Board has sanctioned provision of KAVACH in 730 locomotives of Central Railway in the first phase, and fitment work is underway across loco sheds.

Central Railway has also established the first State-of-the-Art Unified KAVACH Control Centre at Bhusawal Division, inaugurated on 4 September 2025. The centre monitors the KAVACH system across 134 locations of the division, supported by a Network Monitoring System (NMS) for real-time supervision and enhanced safety.

KAVACH is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to prevent overspeeding, collisions, and Signal Passing at Danger. It functions through real-time exchange of signalling information and locomotive location between station equipment and onboard units via radio link, enforcing speed restrictions and movement authority limits.