Karnataka lacks the Kavach safety system on crucial railway routes despite its known effectiveness in preventing accidents. This has raised concerns about safety, especially on high-density routes exceeding capacity. SWR, managing most of Karnataka's rail network, relies on Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) but faces a significant staffing shortage, with 28% of...
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safety personnel positions vacant. This shortage is attributed to the Union Finance Ministry's lack of funding for new staff despite SWR expanding its network. The SWR has identified multiple critical routes in Karnataka, including Miraj-Hubballi-Bengaluru, Hubballi-Ballari, Bengaluru-Mysuru, Bengaluru-Chennai, Bengaluru-Guntakal, and Vasco-Da-Gama–Londa, which have reached maximum capacity. These routes are susceptible to accidents due to high traffic and vulnerability to landslides in hilly areas. While the SWR hopes for Kavach implementation on critical routes, they acknowledge its absence in Karnataka and rely on existing safety measures like AEB. Kavach, a cost-effective Indian-developed ATPS, is currently implemented on 1,465 km in North India with another 3,000 km under development.