Kavach 4.0 Ready for Installation, Final Approval from RDSO Received, Says Railway Minister Vaishnaw

The fourth and final version of the automatic train protection system Kavach is ready and necessary approvals from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) have also been received, union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media about Budget 2024-25 a day after it was presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Vaishnaw also assured that now the installation of the technology will begin soon.

Recurrently, particularly after any train mishap, questions have been raised about the implementation of the technology.

“Last week, Kavach 4.0, Kavach version four, was approved by the RDSO. Our railway network is very complex…This system is designed keeping in mind all these conditions across the country. All the various conditions are covered in this fourth version. The fourth version has been freezed now. Now, we can rapidly start the rollout,” he said in Hindi.

There are five sub-systems under the technology: laying of optical fibre cable, installation of telecom towers, provision of equipment at stations, provision of equipment in loco, and installation of trackside equipment.

Not sharing the tentative timeline by which the entire railway network is expected to be covered, the minister assured that it will be done on priority.

He also explained that if it were implemented before finalising the design, a replacement would be needed.

As per the ministry’s statement in the Rajya Sabha from February, Kavach has so far been deployed on 1,465 Route kilometres and 139 locomotives (including Electric Multiple Unit rakes) on the South Central Railway.

“Presently Kavach tenders have been awarded for Delhi–Mumbai & Delhi–Howrah corridors (approximately 3,000 Route km). The progress of main items related to Kavach is as under: Laying of Optical Fibre Cable (3,040 Km); installation of Telecom Towers (269); Provision of equipment at Stations (186); Provision of equipment in Loco (170 Locos) and Installation of Trackside equipment (827 Route Km),” the statement said.

Vaishnaw also assured that there will be no shortage of funds for the implementation of the technology, adding that Rs 1.08 lakh crore was allocated this year for safety.

He said the technology was developed in 2016 and its certification was done in 2019. In 2022, the first big rollout was started.

Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system and a highly technology-intensive system, which requires safety certification of the highest order. The technology aids the loco pilot in train running within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case the Loco Pilot fails to do so and also helps the train safely run during inclement weather.

Kavach has been certified for the highest level of Safety Integrity Level – SIL4 by the Independent Safety Assessor and reduces the probability of train collisions in block sections and on running lines at stations through its non-SIL features. With this, Kavach has the potential for adoption by other countries.

As per the latest numbers from the ministry, Kavach has so far been deployed on 1,465 Route km and 144 locomotives (including Electric Multiple Unit rakes) on the South Central Railway.

The ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the progress of main items related to Kavach is as follows: laying of optical fibre cable (4,275 km), installation of Telecom Towers (364), provision of equipment at stations (285), provision of equipment in loco (319 locos), and installation of trackside equipment (1,384 Route km).

Further, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Detailed Estimate on another 6,000 RKms are approved on Indian Railways. To increase capacity and scale up implementation, trials of more OEMs are at different stages.

Earlier in the day, the minister informed the Lok Sabha that on July 16, Kavach 4.0 specification had been approved by the RDSO.

“This version 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, Indian Railway has developed, tested and started deploying Automatic Train Protection System,” the ministry said in a reply.

The funds utilised on Kavach works so far is Rs 1,216.77 crore and the allocation of funds during the year 2024-25 stands at Rs 1,112.57 crore. Funds sanctioned for Kavach are being used for Kavach only, Vaishnaw added.