New Delhi – Indian Railways has deployed its advanced indigenous safety system, Kavach 4.0, on the Mathura-Kota stretch of the high-density Delhi-Mumbai corridor. Designed to enhance rail safety by monitoring and controlling train speeds, Kavach 4.0 aims to significantly reduce the risk of accidents, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday.
The minister highlighted that Indian Railways plans to roll out Kavach 4.0 across several routes nationwide within the next six years. So far, over 30,000 personnel have been trained to operate and manage the system.
To further integrate the technology into railway education, the Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET) has signed Memorandums of Understanding with 17 AICTE-approved engineering colleges and universities. Kavach is now being introduced as part of their B.Tech curricula.
Kavach assists loco pilots in managing train speed and applying brakes effectively—even under low visibility conditions such as fog. With Kavach installed, drivers no longer need to rely on external signals, as all critical information is displayed on a dashboard inside the train cab.
Engineered to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL 4)—the highest international safety standard—the system underwent over three years of rigorous testing. Based on insights from its deployment in the South Central Railway, the upgraded version, Kavach 4.0, was approved in May 2025 for use at speeds up to 160 km/h.
The system’s complexity is likened to establishing an entire telecom network. It involves the installation of RFID tags every kilometre along the track and at every signal. These tags provide precise real-time location data for trains.
In addition, telecom towers with optical fiber connections and power supply are set up at intervals along the track. These towers enable seamless communication between locomotives equipped with Kavach and the Kavach control units at stations.
The loco-based Kavach unit interacts with track-side RFID tags, relays data to telecom towers, and receives real-time radio updates from station controllers. Integrated with the locomotive’s braking system, it can automatically apply brakes in emergencies.
Despite the challenges of installing and testing the system without disrupting the movement of heavy passenger and freight trains, the implementation has been successful.
Indian Railways currently spends over ₹1 lakh crore annually on safety initiatives. Kavach is a key part of this investment, aimed at strengthening the safety and reliability of train operations across the country.
With inputs from IANS