Railway workers help to restore services at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 4, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

The Indian government's recent announcement about the installation of a much-awaited automatic train protection system on rail networks to prevent train collisions has triggered a debate among experts whether Indian railways can adopt the Communication Based Train Control, or CBTC, system widely used in China.

An indigenously-developed automatic train protection system, 'Kavach', has been fully installed on a 1,500-kilometer stretch of train route in India, the nation’s railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said on Nov 29, adding that significant progress has been made to increase its coverage.

Experts noted that CBTC is the most advanced and reliable technology which ensures rail transit’s safe operation and prevents rail accidents even in adverse situations

The announcement came nearly six months after the eastern Indian state of Odisha witnessed a devastating triple train collision, involving two passenger trains and one goods train, that left nearly 300 people dead and around 1,000 injured.

READ MORE: At least 261 dead in train accident in India's Odisha state

'Kavach', a Hindi word meaning “shield”, is an automatic train protection system for enhancing safety of running trains. Developed indigenously by the India’s Research Design and Standards Organisation, it is said to help loco pilots avoid “signal passing at danger” and over-speeding, and also help in train operation during inclement weather such as dense fog, leading to enhanced safety and efficiency of train operations.

Some features of the system are controlling speed of trains by automatic application of brakes in case the loco pilot fails to apply the brakes, and repeating line-side signal in cab which is very useful for higher speeds.

Elaborating about the system, Vaishnaw said that it is not a device which can be installed in locomotives only. Instead, it is a complete system which has multiple components to install at stations, locomotives, tracks and along the routes in the form of towers and radio equipment, the minister said.

This system is in the process of installation on another 3,000-km route on the Mumbai-Howrah and the Delhi-Howrah route.

At this moment, it is difficult to say whether the system is foolproof for safety and will prevent all kinds of railway collisions, for example, in the event of sudden signal failure, said G. Raghuram, a noted railways and infrastructure expert and former director of the Indian Institute of Management in Bengaluru.

Experts noted that CBTC is the most advanced and reliable technology which ensures rail transit’s safe operation and prevents rail accidents even in adverse situations.

The CBTC system, widely used in China and some European countries, is the most advanced and technologically foolproof safety system which ensures the safe running of the train operation control system, said Subodh Jain, a retired engineering board member of Indian Railways.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, the federal police investigation agency, was entrusted by the Indian government to find out the exact cause of the accident and three persons were arrested later for alleged negligence in their duty

The CBTC can prevent all types of railway mishaps as well, said Jain.

In 2018, a railway company from China conducted a study for installing the CBTC system in Maharashtra’s suburban railways and the Indian government allocated lot of funds to install the equipment. The Chinese company sought termination of rail services for about a month enroute to install the CBTC, Jain said.

The decision was stalled at the last moment as termination of train services in Maharashtra's busy suburban line where 1,100 trains run daily was not possible, Jain recalled.

CBTC could be one of the options but may not be suitable for the entire Indian railway network, as there are multiple factors that need to be taken into account, including signal variations, according to Ambrish Kumar Gupta, former additional member, (Traffic), Indian Railway Board.   

Indian Railways had begun installing the Kavach system in 2016 and pilot work and testing, modification and version enhancements were carried out until 2020. It was in the beginning of 2022, that its production and installation started on a large scale, Vaishnaw, the railway minister, said during an interaction with journalists.

With the Kavach, the signal will be automatically displayed on drivers’ dashboard. There will be a device in the drivers’ cabin which will set an alarm if there is a red signal, and the driver can then apply the brake. And if a driver fails to apply the brake, the device will stop the train automatically if another train is on the same track, explained Jain.

On June 2, two passenger trains collided in Odisha’s Balasore district after one of them struck a stationary freight train at full speed. The accident, which killed and injured hundreds and was one of worst transportation disasters in India, was caused by an error in the electronic signaling system that led a train to wrongly change tracks and crash into another train.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, the federal police investigation agency, was entrusted by the Indian government to find out the exact cause of the accident and three persons were arrested later for alleged negligence in their duty.

On Oct 29, India witnessed another rail collision, in Vizianagaram district in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The accident, which claimed fourteen lives and injured 50 others, was said to have been caused as a train driver did not notice a red signal.

In order to reduce trespassing, human behavior should be understood. Even if there are underpasses or foot over-bridges, people are reluctant to use them because the facilities are not user-friendly 

India's large train network ferries 22 million people across 67,000 miles of railway daily. The federal government has invested billions of dollars in modernizing the country's railway network, but operational safety is still a big concern.

From 2017 to 2021, there were more than 100,000 train-related deaths in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. That figure includes cases in which passengers fell from trains, collisions, and people being mowed by speeding trains on the tracks.

READ MORE: Over 100 bodies remain unclaimed in Indian rail disaster

To prevent derailments, maintenance is critical. Further, sensors that provide early warning signals which will indicate anything wrong with the track or the rolling stock should be put in place, said Raghuram, the railway infrastructure expert.

In order to reduce trespassing, human behavior should be understood. Even if there are underpasses or foot over-bridges, people are reluctant to use them because the facilities are not user-friendly, Raghuram noted.

Strengthening of the railway track program is in progress to prevent derailments and there is no funding constraint, but the work is time-consuming, said Jain, the retired railways engineering board member, noting that replacing the old track overnight is not possible.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.