After missing its December 2025 deadline, Indian Railways is now aiming to operationalise the indigenous automatic train protection system, Kavach, on the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes sometime in 2026, officials said, citing steady progress and an aggressive execution strategy.

Kavach is a technology-intensive safety system designed to assist loco pilots in maintaining prescribed speed limits by automatically applying brakes if the driver fails to respond. Officials said around 25 per cent of the work on these high-density routes has already been commissioned and is ready for use, while major components for the remaining 75 per cent have been installed. Efforts are now focused on integrating and operationalising the system end to end.

The Ministry of Railways had earlier said on August 7, 2024, that Kavach installation on these routes would be completed by March 2025. This deadline was later extended to December 2025, as outlined in the budget document titled ‘Railways Estimates for Revised Estimates 2024–25 and Budget Estimates 2025–26’ released on February 1, 2025.

Providing an update in the Lok Sabha on December 17, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 738 route km following extensive trials. This includes the Palwal–Mathura–Nagda section, covering 633 route km on the Delhi–Mumbai corridor, and the Howrah–Bardhaman section, spanning 105 route km on the Delhi–Howrah route.

The Minister added that optical fibre cable has been laid along 7,129 km, supported by the installation of 800 telecom towers. Other critical components have also progressed, with Station Kavach installed at 860 stations, track-side equipment deployed across 5,672 route km, and Loco Kavach fitted on 4,154 locomotives.

Once fully operational, Kavach is expected to significantly enhance safety on some of India’s busiest rail corridors by reducing the risk of human error and improving overall train control.