SYLLABUS

GS-2:e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential.

GS-3:Infrastructure: Railways.

Context: Indian Railways has approved two Kavach projects worth ₹341 crore covering 1,409 route kilometres (RKM), reinforcing efforts to enhance railway safety and modernise signalling infrastructure across the network.

More on the News

• The projects include ₹201 crore for 811 RKM in Ambala Division and ₹140 crore for 598 RKM in Ahmedabad Division for the deployment of Kavach 4.0.
• The projects are being implemented under the umbrella programme for the provision of Kavach with an LTE-based communication backbone across the remaining routes of Indian Railways.
• Kavach rollout is being prioritised on High-Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilised Network (HUN) routes, which together carry the overwhelming majority of railway traffic.
• As of March 2026, the progress achieved are:
  • 3,103 RKM equipped with Kavach.
  • 767 stations and 4,277 locomotives fitted with the system.
  • 8,570 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laid and 1,100 telecom towers installed.

About Kavach System

• What is Kavach?
  • Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian industry.
  • It was initially developed as the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and was adopted as the national ATP system of Indian Railways in 2020.
  • Kavach 4.0 has been certified to Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4), the highest level of railway safety assurance, and it supports train operations up to 160 kmph.
• Key Features and Components:
  • Prevents Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD).
  • Automatically applies brakes to prevent collisions and overspeeding.
  • Enforces speed restrictions and assists train operations during fog or low-visibility conditions.
  • Provides in-cab signal information to loco pilots.
  • Uses an integrated network of:
    • RFID tags along the track,
    • onboard locomotive equipment,
    • station-based Kavach systems,
    • telecom towers and radio communication,
    • Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) network.

Significance of Kavach Deployment

• Enhancing Railway Safety: Reduces the risk of collisions, overspeeding and signal violations by providing automatic intervention during unsafe situations.
• Minimising Human Error: Acts as a fail-safe system by supporting loco pilots and automatically applying brakes when required.
• Improving Network Capacity: Enables safer train operations at shorter intervals, thereby increasing line capacity and improving operational efficiency.
• Advancing Atmanirbhar Railway Technology: As an indigenously developed ATP system, Kavach strengthens India's technological self-reliance while supporting the modernisation of the railway network.