West Bengal train accident: A goods train collided with the Kanchanjungha Express near New Jalpaiguri on Monday, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 60 others.

A senior North Frontier Railway (NFR) official confirmed that the collision occurred around 9 a.m. near Rangapani, close to the New Jalpaiguri station. The Kanchanjungha Express was on its way from Agartala to Sealdah when the accident occurred.

The goods train locopilot reportedly jumped the signal and collided with the stationary Kanchanjungha Express. Kavach, a made-in-India system that helps prevent accidents when two trains travel on the same line, was not available on the tracks in Darjeeling where the two trains collided today. 

Following the crash, an old video of Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explaining the Kavach system went viral, prompting officials to state that the system has yet to be installed throughout the railway network.

What is Kavach?

Kavach is an automatic train protection (ATP) system developed indigenously by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RSCO) in collaboration with three Indian firms.

The security system not only controls train speed but also assists locomotive drivers in avoiding missing danger signals and ensuring that trains run safely, particularly in low-visibility conditions.

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw @AshwiniVaishnaw
Hon'ble Railway Minister briefs during live testing of #kavach automatic train protection technology in Lingampalli - Vikarabad section, South Central Railway #NationalSafetyDay @RailMinIndia @drmsecunderabad pic.twitter.com/jtW5EXECm3 — South Central Railway (@SCRailwayIndia) March 4, 2022

Kavach is currently deployed on more than 1,500 kilometres of tracks. The Centre had planned to bring 2,000 kilometres of rail network under Kavach in 2022-23, with the goal of covering approximately 34,000 kilometres of rail network. The Indian railway system is more than 1 lakh kilometres long.

- PTC NEWS

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