Railways Clears Kavach 4.0, Barbil Doubling and New AP Train

Indian Railways cleared three separate proposals on the same day: an anti-collision system for a division in Uttar Pradesh, a short but heavily loaded doubling in the mineral belt of Odisha, and a new passenger service in Andhra Pradesh.

Kavach 4.0 for Varanasi Division

Version 4.0 of Kavach has been sanctioned for 614.75 route kilometres of the Varanasi (BSB) Division of North Eastern Railway, at a cost of 223 crore rupees. The work covers the balance sections of the division that the system had not yet reached. Kavach is an Automatic Train Protection system designed in the country; it guards against a train passing a signal at danger, puts the brakes on by itself where the situation demands it, and keeps watch on how a train is being driven.

Doubling on the Barbil-Bolanikhadan line

The second approval is for doubling a stretch of just 6 km between Barbil and Bolanikhadan on South Eastern Railway, at a completion cost of 122 crore rupees. Short as it is, the section sits on the Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor and is single line today, carrying roughly 9 MTPA in about 6 loaded rakes a day. The traffic is high-grade iron ore and pellets moving out of SAIL's Bolani mines and private sidings, Rungta and Khatau Narbheram, towards steel plants and ports. Doubling is expected to carry an additional 8.9 MTPA once commissioned and to cut delays to freight trains, and it has been taken up ahead of the mine and port expansions that will otherwise choke the corridor.

A new train for Andhra Pradesh

The third clearance is a tri-weekly service between Machilipatnam and Kurnool City via Vijayawada on South Coast Railway, covering 499 km. The Machilipatnam-Kurnool City Express will leave at 16:55 and reach the next morning at 05:45, running on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; the return service leaves Kurnool City at 09:30 and arrives at 21:35 the same day, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Stops include Gudivada, Vijayawada, Narasaraopet, Vinukonda, Donakonda, Markapur Road, Cumbum, Giddalur, Diguvametta, Nandyal, Betamcherla and Dhone, linking the coastal districts with the interior of the state.