In News:

The indigenously developed Kavach system, India’s flagship Automatic Train Protection (ATP) technology, has been fully commissioned on over 2,000 km of the Indian Rail network, with its rollout progressing rapidly. This information was provided by the Union Railway Minister in a written reply during the Winter Session of Parliament, highlighting a major milestone in railway safety reforms.

What is Kavach?

Kavach is a home-grown digital safety system designed to prevent train accidents by automatically intervening when unsafe train movements are detected. It has been developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under Indian Railways, in collaboration with Indian industry partnersp-Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd, HBL Power Systems Ltd, and Kernex Microsystems.

Key Technical Features

• Kavach is a complex integrated safety ecosystem comprising five major components.
• It relies on:
  • Continuous Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laid along tracks
  • Telecom towers for uninterrupted data and voice communication
  • RFID tags and electronic equipment installed on locomotives, tracks, and signalling systems
• Communication occurs using ultra-high radio frequencies.
• Based on pre-programmed safety logic, the system can:
  • Warn loco pilots
  • Automatically apply brakes
  • Prevent collisions, signal passing at danger (SPAD), and over-speeding

Testing and Deployment

• Field trials began in 2016 on passenger trains before large-scale rollout.
• As of December 2025, Indian Railways has achieved:
  • 7,129 km of OFC laid
  • 860 telecom towers installed
  • 767 railway stations connected to data centres
  • Trackside equipment deployed along 3,413 km
  • 4,154 locomotives equipped with Kavach
• Around 40,000 railway personnel have been trained to operate and maintain the system.

Impact on Railway Safety

The introduction of Kavach has contributed to a nearly 90% reduction in consequential railway accidents, which declined from 135 incidents in 2014 to about 11 currently. This demonstrates its effectiveness as a preventive safety technology.