Central Railway Flags Off 50th Locomotive With Kavach Safety System, Western Railway Leads Rollout

Central Railway has crossed a notable milestone in its safety modernisation drive with the 50th locomotive fitted with the indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, Kavach, officially flagged off from the Electric Loco Shed in Kalyan.

“This marks a significant step forward in our commitment to implementing advanced technology for safer and more efficient train operations. The KAVACH system represents a leap in safety innovation, and its rollout across our fleet is progressing steadily,” a railway spokesperson was quoted as saying in a Free Press Journal report.

The landmark locomotive, WAP-7 number 37335, was flagged off by Central Railway General Manager Dharam Veer Meena in the presence of senior officials including Hiresh Meena, Divisional Railway Manager of Mumbai Division, Anoop Kumar Agarwal, Principal Chief Electrical Engineer, and MS Uppal, Principal Chief Signal & Telecommunication Engineer.

As part of Indian Railways’ broader mission to strengthen safety standards, Kavach is being installed on 730 locomotives in the first phase across Central Railway.

The project is being executed in collaboration with four technology providers — HBL (170 locos), Kernex (278), Quadrant (276), and GG Tronics (6). The installations are being carried out at multiple loco sheds including Kalyan, Bhusawal, and Ajni.

Kavach is designed to prevent collisions, overspeeding, and Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) incidents by ensuring continuous communication between train-mounted units and trackside equipment via radio link.

It enforces speed restrictions and movement authority in real time, providing a crucial safeguard against human error.

Meanwhile, Western Railway has emerged as the frontrunner in deploying Kavach across its network.

“There are a total of 850 locomotives in Western Railway. So far, 118 locomotives have already been fitted with Kavach… Western Railway is number one in Indian Railways in terms of Kavach installation,” a senior WR official confirmed, adding that the remaining work is expected to be completed by December 2025.

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