Trains involved in accident not fitted with Kavach but have Vigilance Control Device, says Waltair Divisional Railway Manager

‘The VCD emanates audio and visual warnings when the pilot does not perform any normal operations for quite sometime’

There was auto signal failure in the section and caution orders were in force, say some railway officials | Photo Credit: V RAJU

Train no. 08532 Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger and the 08504 Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger, which were involved in the rear collision in Vizianagaram district, do not have the anti-collision device – Kavach. While railway officials suspect overshooting of the signal as the cause of the accident, they do not rule out other possibilities.

The non-availability of ‘Kavach’ system, the increased speed in the section, probable malfunctioning of the signal system, pressure on the loco pilots, and running trains one after the other with a gap of barely 500 metres could have all contributed to the accident, opined those who were well-versed with the functioning of the railways.

Some railway personnel were also overheard talking among themselves at the accident spot on Monday that ‘auto signal failure’ was on in the section, and caution orders were in force, implying that trains have to proceed slowly.

The indigenously designed Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which was later rechristened as ‘Kavach’ (armour), was developed only last year and it would take a long time for its implementation across the country, according to sources.

“The two trains involved in the accident have not been fitted with TCAS. The Kavach system is capable of detecting any obstacle in front of the train, be it, another train, boulder or anything else, and will automatically apply the brakes. All locomotives in the country, have, however, been fitted with Vigilance Control Device (VCD), which can be regarded as an earlier version of Kavach,” Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad told The Hindu in an exclusive chat on Tuesday.

“The VCD emanates audio and visual warnings (flashing and sounding the alarm), when the pilot does not perform any normal operations for quite sometime. The device assumes that the loco pilot is not in a position to day anything, when he/she fails to acknowledge it, and applies the brake automatically,” he says.

“However, the VCD will not sense any danger when the loco pilot rests his hands on the levers and loses consciousness for any reason. It remains to be seen what had happened to the pilot in this particular case. The data logger and other devices in the locomotive have been seized for investigation.”

“The auto signal system was commissioned in the section on March 31, 2023. Trains were proceeding as per standard protocols, “ Mr. Saurabh Prasad added.