New Delhi : Indian Railways has approved the installation of the automatic train protection system, Kavach Version 4.0, on 680 route kilometres of the Rewari–Delhi and Shakurbasti–Bathinda sections, including feeder branch lines, in the Delhi Division of Northern Railway.
“The project has been approved at a cost of Rs 206 crore,” a Railway Board press statement said. It added, “The project forms part of Indian Railways’ ongoing nationwide rollout of Kavach, aimed at expanding the indigenous safety system across high-density and strategically important routes.”
Kavach is India’s indigenously developed automatic train protection (ATP) system, designed to significantly enhance railway safety by preventing signal passed at danger (SPAD) incidents and train collisions.
The system continuously monitors train movements, automatically applies brakes whenever necessary, enables trains to operate safely at the maximum permissible speeds and supports reliable train operations even during adverse weather conditions such as dense fog.
“The deployment of Kavach Version 4.0 on these important Indian Railways routes will strengthen safety, improve operational efficiency, enhance the reliability of train operations and support faster, technology-driven movement of both passenger and freight services,” the Railway Board said.
The addition of the Rewari–Delhi and Shakurbasti–Bathinda sections is considered highly strategic due to the intense congestion and critical freight traffic these corridors handle daily. By implementing Kavach Version 4.0, Northern Railway expects to drastically reduce human-error-induced delays, particularly during the harsh winter months when dense fog regularly cripples train schedules across North India.
This phase of the rollout also serves as a crucial trial ground for the latest software version’s ability to handle high-frequency commuter networks feeding directly into the national capital.
