Indian Railways Clears Kavach 4.0, Signalling and Traction Projects to Boost Safety

Indian Railways has approved four major projects aimed at improving train safety, signalling capacity and infrastructure, with a combined estimated cost of around ₹736 crore. The largest allocation, ₹252 crore, is for extending the indigenous Kavach 4.0 automatic train protection system across 607.7 route kilometres in the Lucknow Division of North Eastern Railway. The project will cover the identified sections that are yet to receive the system.

Kavach has been developed and expanded over several years. Field trials started in February 2016, while three firms were authorised to supply an earlier version of the system in 2018-19. Kavach was designated India's National Automatic Train Protection system in July 2020. The upgraded Kavach 4.0 subsequently received RDSO approval on July 16, 2024.

The rollout of Version 4.0 has accelerated this year. On January 30, 2026, the system was commissioned over 472.3 route kilometres across three railway sections in a single day. This took commissioned Kavach 4.0 coverage to 1,306.3 route kilometres. By July 31, its deployment had expanded to 2,633 route kilometres, including sections of the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes.

Kavach 4.0 incorporates upgrades such as greater location accuracy, improved handling of signal information in large yards, optical-fibre communication between stations and integration with Electronic Interlocking systems.

The ministry has also sanctioned ₹209 crore for Electronic Interlocking (EI) at seven stations in the Solapur Division of Central Railway. The computer-based system coordinates signals and track-changing points, helping prevent conflicting train movements while making signalling operations more reliable and easier to monitor. Its integration also provides infrastructure support for Kavach.

A further ₹142-crore project will convert the 73-route-kilometre Savalyapuram-Guntur section from 1x25 kV to 2x25 kV electric traction. In practical terms, the upgrade allows the railway to transmit greater electrical power to trains, helping the route accommodate increasing traffic and higher energy requirements.

The fourth approval provides ₹133.23 crore for a four-lane road overbridge replacing Level Crossing No. 53 on Western Railway's Udhna-Ukai Songadh section. The bridge is expected to keep road traffic moving while reducing interruptions to railway operations.