Kavach, the Indian technology that can prevent two trains from colliding

Context

Recently, the Indian Railways tested 'Kavach'-Automatic Train Protection System by making two trains move towards each other at full speed.

About

About Kavach – The Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS):

It is India’s very own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened to Kavach or “armour”.
It is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well the tracks.
The system talk to each other using ultra high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them.
One of its features is that by continuously refreshing the movement information of a train, it is able to send out triggers when a loco pilot jumps signal, called Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD).
SPAD is a grave offence in railway operations with respect to safety, and the key to accidents like collision.
The devices also continuously relay the signals ahead to the locomotive, making it useful for loco pilots in low visibility, especially during dense fog.
TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collison Device.
It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future.
The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level 4.

What India envisions?

In the new avatar, India wants to position Kavach as an exportable system, a cheaper alternative to the European systems in vogue across the world.
While now Kavach uses Ultra High Frequency, work is on to make it compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and make the product for global markets.
- Work is on to make the system such that it can be compatible with other already installed systems globally.
- The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in Lucknow along with private vendors are developing the system.
India wants more private players to take up the development and subseauent production.
Once rolled out, it may be world’s cheapest Automatic Train Protection System with the cost of rollout pegged at around Rs 30 lakh to 50 lakh per kilometer, a fourth of the cost of equivalent systems globally.
In the next phase, the Kavach system will also be able to recalibrate as per temporary speed restrictions en route, something the system does not yet have.