Kavach, India’s indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, continues to advance in deployment across the national rail network. The system, certified to the highest Safety Integrity Level (SIL-4), automatically applies brakes if a loco pilot fails to act within speed limits and enhances safe train operations, including during adverse weather conditions.

Field trials on passenger trains began in February 2016, followed by independent safety assessment. Based on these results, three firms were approved in 2018–19 to supply Kavach Version 3.2. The system was formally adopted as India’s National ATP in July 2020.

Implementation of Kavach involves several major activities:

Installation of station-level Kavach across all stations and block sections

Deployment of RFID tags along the entire track

Installation of telecom towers across each section

Laying of optical fibre cable

Provision of loco-mounted Kavach for every locomotive on Indian Railways

Following deployment of Kavach 3.2 over 1,465 route km on South Central Railway, improvements were incorporated into the updated Version 4.0, approved by RDSO on 16 July 2024. The upgraded version offers enhanced location accuracy, improved signalling information in large yards, station-to-station interface over optical fibre and direct integration with existing electronic interlocking. These features support large-scale deployment across India’s diverse network.

Kavach Version 4.0 has now been successfully commissioned over 738 route km:

633 route km on the Palwal–Mathura–Nagda section of the Delhi–Mumbai route

105 route km on the Howrah–Bardhaman section of the Delhi–Howrah route

Implementation is progressing across remaining sections of both corridors. Track-side deployment has also begun over 15,512 route km, covering the Golden Quadrilateral, Golden Diagonal, high-density network and other priority sections. Bids have been invited to equip a further 9,069 locomotives with Kavach 4.0.

Specialised training programmes are under way at Indian Railways’ centralised institutes. More than 40,000 personnel — including 30,000 loco pilots and assistant loco pilots — have been trained through courses developed with IRISET.

The approximate cost of track-side and station-level Kavach installation is Rs 5 million per km, while equipping each locomotive costs about Rs 8 million. Expenditure on Kavach works up to October 2025 stands at Rs 23.5436 billion, with Rs 16.7319 billion allocated for 2025–26.

Progress on key Kavach items is as follows:

Laying of optical fibre cable: 7,129 km

Installation of telecom towers: 860 units

Kavach at stations: 549 locations

Installation of track-side equipment: 2,674 route km

Kavach provided on locomotives: 4,154 locos

This information was provided by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.