Indian Railways poised for leap in tech upgrade

Entire network of 65,000 km to be fitted with ‘KAVACH’, the indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System

Indian Railways is poised for a giant leap in technology, especially in the signalling and telecommunication front with 15,000 km being converted into automatic signalling and 37,000 km to be fitted with ‘KAVACH’, the indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and soon the entire network of 65,000 km will be get this facility, informed Railway Board Additional Member Rahul Agarwal on Wednesday.

Along with this, most of the lines are being shifted onto the modern Central Traffic Control (CTC) management system, so the expectation from the S&T engineering wing and consequently, the role and responsibility of the Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET), here in Secunderabad, will only get enhanced, he said.

Participating in the 64th anniversary of IRISET virtually, the senior railway official said there will be a huge requirement of skilled manpower as these technologies get integrated and the institute will be playing a key role in developing capacities and competencies for the railways as well as the industry. Zonal railways should be part of the plan and the signalling industry should be involved in a wider role, observed Mr. Agarwal.