News Brief
Kavach 4.0: Indian Railways' Advanced Indigenous Train Protection System Moves Towards Large-Scale Deployment
Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw inspecting ‘Kavach,’ the indigenously developed automatic train protection system (File Photo)
India’s indigenously developed Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system is progressing towards large-scale deployment, following the approval of Version 4.0 by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in July last year.
This marks a major leap in railway safety, enhancing accuracy and efficiency for train operations across the country.
Kavach, a highly technology intensive system, which requires safety certification of highest order (SIL-4), helps the Loco Pilot in running of train within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case Loco Pilot fails to do so and also helps the trains to run safely during inclement weather
The system has evolved significantly since its first trials in 2016.
Based on the experience gained and Independent Safety Assessment of the system by Independent Safety Assessor (ISA), three firms were approved in 2018-19, for supply of Kavach Version 3.2.
Kavach version 3.2 was deployed on 1,465 Route Km (RKm) on south central Railway, through which the Railways gained a lot of experience.
Kavach was adopted as National ATP system in July 2020.
The latest Version 4.0 was approved by the Indian Railways' Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in July 2024.
The latest Version 4.0 of the Kavach ATP introduces:
Enhanced location accuracy for better train positioning
Improved signal aspect information in large railway yards
Direct interface with electronic interlocking systems for seamless integration
Station-to-station communication via Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) for enhanced coordination
Implementation Progress as of March 2025
The implementation of Kavach System involves following key activities:
Installation of Station Kavach at each and every station, block section.
Installation of RFID Tags throughout the track length.
Installation of telecom Towers throughout the section.
Provision of Loco Kavach on each and every Locomotive running on Indian Railways.
Since its approval, Indian Railways has been rapidly expanding Kavach across its network. The latest implementation figures include:
5,743 km of Optical Fibre Cable laid
540 telecom towers installed
795 locomotives equipped with Kavach
664 stations fitted with Kavach technology
3,727 route kilometers covered with trackside equipment
To further accelerate deployment, a plan to equip 10,000 more locomotives has been finalised, with 69 loco sheds prepared for installation.
Additionally, bids for 15,000 km of trackside works of Kavach have been invited covering all Golden Quadrilateral, Goldern Diagonal, High Density and and identified sections of Indian Railways, out of which works of 1865 RKm have been awarded, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday (19 March).
Investment and Training
As of March 2025, Indian Railways has invested Rs 1,950 crore in Kavach implementation, with Rs 1,112.57 crore allocated for FY 2024-25, the minister informed.
The minister added that requisite funds are made available as per the progress of works.
According to the minister, The cost for provision of Track Side including Station equipment of Kavach is approximately R. 50 Lakh per Km and cost for provision of Kavach equipment on locomotives is approximately Rs. 80 Lakh per Loco.
To support large-scale rollout, over 20,000 railway personnel have been trained in Kavach technology at Indian Railways’ centralised training institutes, with courses designed in collaboration with the Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET).
Future Expansion Plans
Currently, three Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are approved to supply Kavach system.
To increase capacity and scale of implementation, trials and approval of more OEMs are at different stages, the minister said.
