Lok Sabha Question No. 4336 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Deployment of Kavach System in South Western Railway Zone
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Yaduveer Wadiyar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4336 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## DEPLOYMENT OF KAVACH SYSTEM IN SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY ZONE

## 4336. SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  progress  made  in  the  phased  implementation  of  the  indigenously developed Kavach (Automatic Train Protection) system across the 3,692 route kilometers of the South Western Railway (SWR) zone;
- (b)  the route (in kilometers) covered so far under the Kavach system and the corridors identified for implementation during the current and next phases;
- (c)  the  timelines  fixed  for  completion  of  Kavach  deployment  across  the entire SWR zone including key routes in Karnataka; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to prioritise high-density passenger  and  freight  corridors  to  enhance  railway  safety  under  the
- Kavach programme?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (d): 1. Kavach  is  an indigenously  developed  Automatic  Train Protection  (ATP)  system.  Kavach  is  a  highly  technology  intensive system, which requires safety certification of highest order (SIL-4).
2. Kavach aids the Loco Pilot in running of trains 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.

3. The first field trials on the passenger trains were started in February 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 Ver 3.2.
4. Kavach was adopted as National ATP system in July, 2020.
3. 5.
4. Implementation of Kavach System involves following Key Activities:
5. Installation  of  Station  Kavach  at  each  and  every  station,  block
- a. section.
7. b.
8. Installation of RFID Tags throughout the track length.
9. c.
10. Installation of telecom Towers throughout the section.
- d. Laying of Optical Fibre Cable along the track.
- e. Provision of Loco Kavach on each and every Locomotive running on Indian Railways.
6. Based  on  deployment  of  Kavach  version  3.2  on  1465  RKm  on  South Central  Railway  and  experience  gained,  further  improvements  were made. Finally, Kavach specification version 4.0 was approved by RDSO on 16.07.2024.
7. Kavach  version  4.0  covers  all  the  major  features  required  for  the diverse  railway  network.  This  is  a  significant  milestone  in  safety  for Indian  Railways.  Within  a  short  period,  IR  has  developed,  tested  and started deploying Automatic Train Protection System.
8. Major improvement in Version 4.0 includes increased Location Accuracy,  Improved  Information  of  Signal  Aspects  in  bigger  yards, Station  to  Station  Kavach  interface  on  OFC  and  Direct  Interface  to existing  Electronic  Interlocking  System.  With  these  improvements, Kavach  Ver.4.0.  is  planned  for  large  scale  deployment  over  Indian Railways.
9. After  extensive  and  elaborate  trials,  Kavach  Version  4.0  has  been successfully  commissioned  on  1452  Route  Kilometres,  covering  the high density Delhi- Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes as below:
10. Further, track side Kavach implementation work has been taken up on 24,427 RKM covering all GQ,GD,HDN and identified sections of Indian Railways,  including  Bengaluru-Hubballi-Bellari,  Hubbali-Vijaynagar  & other sections of SW Rly.
11. Progress  of  key  items  of  Kavach  on  High  density  routes  including Delhi- Mumbai & Delhi- Howrah corridors as on 14.03.26 are as under:
12. The section mentioned above also pass through the state of Karnataka.
13. In  addition,  work  for  installation  of  Kavach  in  8979  Locomotives  and 1200 EMU/MEMU has been taken up.
14. Specialized  training  programmes  on  Kavach  are  being  conducted  at centralized training institutes of Indian Railways to impart training to all concerned officials. By now more than 55,000 technicians, operators and engineers have been trained on Kavach technology. This includes  about  47,500  Loco  Pilots  &  Assistant  Loco  Pilots.  Courses have been designed in collaboration with IRISET.
15. The  cost  for  provision  of  Track  Side  including  Station  equipment  of Kavach  is  approximately  Rs.  50  Lakhs/Km  and  cost  for  provision  of Kavach equipment on locomotives is approximately Rs. 80 Lakh/Loco.
16. The funds utilized on Kavach works so far up to Feb'26 is Rs. 2,763.90 Crores. The allocation of funds during the year 2025-26 is Rs. 1673.19 Crores.  Requisite  funds  are  made  available  as  per  the  progress  of works.

| SN   | Section                                          | Progress (Route Km)   |
|------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
| (1)  | Delhi-Mumbai route:                              | Delhi-Mumbai route:   |
| i    | Junction cabin - Palwal - Mathura -Nagda section | 667                   |
| ii   | Vadodara - Ahmedabad section                     | 96                    |
| iii  | Vadodara - Virar section                         | 336                   |
| (2)  | Delhi - Howrah route:                            | Delhi - Howrah route: |
| i    | Gaya Sarmatanr section                           | 93                    |
| ii   | Chota Ambana - Bardhaman - Howrah section        | 260                   |

| SN   | Item                                 | Progress    |
|------|--------------------------------------|-------------|
| i    | Laying of Optical Fibre Cable        | 8570 Km     |
| ii   | Installation of Telecom Towers       | 1100 nos    |
| iii  | Station Data Centre                  | 767 Station |
| iv   | Installation of Track side equipment | 6776 RKm    |
| v    | Provision of Kavach in Loco          | 4211 nos    |

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