Last Updated:
Indian Railways’ ‘Kavach’ has now become not just a signaling system but the train’s airbag. This indigenous technology stops the train itself even if there is a mistake by the loco pilot. Kavach has so far been installed on more than 1,400 kilometers of railway routes and more than 1,500 locomotives are equipped with this protective cover. Its specialty is that it is six times cheaper than foreign systems and in the coming years the entire country’s rail network will be brought under its purview.
New Delhi. Sometimes train accidents happen due to a small human error, but now Indian Railways has found a sure solution for this. ‘Kavach’ – Indian Railways’ indigenous safety technology, which is to trains what airbags are to cars. Even if the loco pilot misses a signal or the speed of the train increases, the Kavach system immediately stops the train.
Kavach is an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which has been completely developed by Indian engineers. It keeps trains at a safe distance from each other with the help of technologies like radio, GPS and RFID. Even if a loco pilot makes a mistake – like crossing a red signal or exceeding the speed limit – Kavach immediately applies full emergency brakes through a system installed in the train.
understand with example
- The loco pilot gets information about every signal on the screen in the cabin.
- Trains constantly share each other’s distance and speed.
- As soon as two trains come within 400 meters, Kavach stops both of them.
- If there is fog or rain on the track, the pilot does not have to look for the signal – the armor itself gives the warning.
What used to happen before, what has changed now
Earlier, if the pilot crossed the red signal by mistake, accidents were inevitable. Now Kavach stops the train 100 meters in advance. Where earlier there was a possibility of collision between trains, now both trains stop automatically. If the speed exceeds the limit, the armor automatically reduces the speed. And the most important thing – now the signal reaches the train cabin directly even in bad weather, due to which the problem of visibility has ended.
where is the armor installed yet
- Kavach’s coverage is continuously increasing till November 2025.
- Kavach is fully operational on the Vijayawada–Kazipet–Balharshah section (1,465 km).
- Trial on Delhi-Agra section has been completed and will start soon.
- Kavach 4.0 is being installed on the Mathura-Kota route (324 km).
So far, a total of 1,900 kilometers of railway routes have come under the protection cover of Kavach, and more than 1,500 locomotives are equipped with this system.
6 times cheaper than foreign systems and completely indigenous
While the European Train Control System (ETCS Level-2) costs around ₹ 2.5 to ₹ 3 crore per km, Kavach is ready for just ₹ 50 lakh per km. That means six times cheaper and completely ‘Made in India’.
Big mission till 2030
The Railway Ministry has decided on a roadmap to deploy Kavach on high-density networks across the country.
- The target is to install armor on 5,000 kilometers of tracks every year.
- By 2030, 1 lakh kilometers of tracks will come under armor protection.
- This will include major routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Chennai.
