Version 4.0 underwent extensive trials and has been commissioned on the 324-km Mathura-Kota section, the first to be cleared by the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) in July this year.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Indian Railways has invited bids for about 15,000 km, covering the Golden Quadrilateral, Golden Diagonal, and other high-density routes, of which contracts for 14,954 km have been awarded for implementing the latest version of the indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system – Kavach version 4.0.
South Central Railway (SCR), which had earlier deployed Kavach version 3.2 on 1,465 km, played a key role in its development and subsequent improvements, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha.
The Lucknow-based Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) approved version 4.0 last year, paving the way for implementation. The new version offers enhanced location accuracy, improved information on signal aspects in larger yards, station-to-station Kavach interface on optical fibre cable (OFC), and direct interface with the existing electronic interlocking system.
Version 4.0 underwent extensive trials and has been commissioned on the 324-km Mathura-Kota section, the first to be cleared by the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) in July this year. A parallel project to equip 10,000 locomotives with Kavach is underway.
SCR has also announced plans to upgrade 1,400 km of Kavach 3.2 to version 4.0 and install it afresh on 1,618 km. The Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET), Secunderabad, has trained more than 30,000 technicians, operators, and engineers for the system, Mr. Vaishnaw said.
So far, 69 loco sheds have been prepared to receive Kavach. The cost of trackside equipment, including station installations, is about ₹50 lakh per km, while the cost per locomotive is about ₹80 lakh.
According to the Minister’s status report up to July-end, 5,867 km of OFC has been laid, 629 telecom towers erected, 708 station Kavach installed, 1,290 locomotives equipped, and 4,005 km of trackside systems commissioned. About ₹2,015 crore has been spent so far, with an allocation of ₹1,673.19 crore for the current year.
Key features of Kavach
Assists loco pilots in maintaining speed limits through automatic brake application
Enhances safety in adverse weather conditions
First field trials began in February 2016
Three firms approved as suppliers in 2018–19
Adopted as India’s National ATP system in July 2020
Uses RFID tags, telecom towers, OFC, and station- and loco-based systems
Published – September 03, 2025 05:08 pm IST
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