Two Indian Railways infrastructure projects worth a combined ₹381 crore have been approved to expand Kavach 4.0 train protection on Northern Railway and electric locomotive maintenance capacity in Raipur.

Indian Railways WAP-7 electric locomotive hauling a passenger train
Archive photo of WAP-7 locomotive 30255 hauling the Chhattisgarh Express. Photo: Shan.H.Fernandes / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Of the total amount, ₹206 crore is assigned to the Northern Railway safety plan, while ₹175 crore covers locomotive infrastructure under South East Central Railway (SECR).

Kavach 4.0 deployment on Northern Railway

The Northern Railway project provides for the ⁠installation of Kavach Version 4.0 across 680 Route Kilometres (RKm) within the Delhi Division. Deployment will cover the Rewari–Delhi and Shakurbasti–Bathinda sections, including their associated feeder branch lines.

Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system that monitors train movements to prevent collisions and Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) incidents. It can apply the brakes automatically when required, allow trains to operate safely at the maximum permissible speed, and support reliable operation in difficult weather conditions, including dense fog.

The planned installation is part of a nationwide strategy to equip high-density and strategic railway routes, supporting smoother passenger and freight movement.

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Electric locomotive facilities at Raipur

A separate ₹175 crore project will establish ⁠additional homing facilities for 250 three-phase electric locomotives at the High Horse Power (HHP) Diesel Shed in Raipur under SECR.

The locomotive shed serves as a central maintenance base for scheduled safety inspections, routine servicing, and essential repairs required for smooth railway operations.

TCAS Kavach display installed in a WAP-7 locomotive
Archive photo of a TCAS/Kavach driver-machine interface installed in a WAP-7 locomotive. Photo: GKP07 / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 1.0

The additional facilities are intended to accommodate the rapid expansion of the electric locomotive fleet and growing train traffic. The project will use existing yard infrastructure while preparing the Raipur depot for future technical expansion.

Indian Railways adopted Kavach as its national Automatic Train Protection system in July 2020, and RDSO approved the Version 4.0 specification on 16 July 2024. By 11 March 2026, Kavach 4.0 had been commissioned across 1,452 route kilometres on the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah corridors.

Trackside implementation had also been taken up on 24,427 RKm covering the Golden Quadrilateral, Golden Diagonal, high-density network and other identified sections. In parallel, work was under way to install Kavach on 8,979 locomotives and 1,200 EMU/MEMU vehicles.

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