The Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has informed that work on the automatic train protection system, KAVACH, in the country is progressing rapidly. Responding to supplementary questions in the Lok Sabha today, Mr. Vaishnaw stated that KAVACH is a very complex system with five sub-systems. He said that optical fibre cables (OFCs) have been installed over 8,570 kilometers. The minister stated that over 1100 telecom towers have been established, and 767 station data centers have been set up at stations. He also said that wayside equipment has been installed over 6,776 kilometers. Mr. Vaishnaw said that work on the KAVACH system should have started in the 1990s, but it was initiated after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014.
Responding to another supplementary question, the minister said that the railways have taken several steps to protect wildlife, such as creating underpasses and overpasses. He said that the Ministry of Railways is using technologies like optical fibre cables and AI cameras to protect wildlife, including elephants. In his response to a question about Konkan Railways, Mr. Vaishnaw said, "Detailed Project Report work is underway to increase capacity." He stated that Konkan Rail is an important line, and efforts are being made to strengthen the tunnels and tracks. He added that the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala are stakeholders, and he sought more cooperation from the state governments of Karnataka and Kerala.