To enhance railway safety, the indigenous automatic train protection (ATP) system ‘Kavach’ will be implemented across more than 790 route kilometres (RKM) in the North Central Railway (NCR) zone. The total sanctioned cost for the project stands at ₹309.26 crore, officials said.
Route kilometre (RKM) refers to the actual distance between two points on the railway network, regardless of the number of lines—single or double—connecting them.
This initiative is part of the broader umbrella project titled “Kavach and communication backbone through long-term evolution (LTE) for balance routes of Indian Railways,” which has been included in the 2024–25 works, machinery and rolling stock programme. The nationwide outlay for this umbrella scheme is ₹27,693 crore, with ₹540 crore earmarked specifically for NCR. Of this, ₹309.26 crore has been allocated for Kavach installation across selected sections, said Shashikant Tripathi, chief public relations officer, NCR.
According to officials, the system will be rolled out in key sections under the Prayagraj, Agra, and Jhansi divisions. The specific sections include, Shikohabad–Farrukhabad (103.58 km), Dholpur–Sarmathura (70 km), Bhindai–Udimod (113 km), Lalitpur–Khajuraho (164 km), Birlanagar–Udimod (102 km), Khajuraho–Mahoba (64 km), Ait–Konch (13 km), Aligarh–Harduaganj (14 km), Khurja Junction–Khurja City (4 km), Barhan–Etah (58 km), Etawah–Mainpuri (54 km), Kanpur–Anwarganj (2.42 km), Mohari–Tantpur (18 km), and Udimod–Etawah (10 km).
The deployment of Kavach across these critical routes is expected to significantly boost operational safety and help prevent accidents, they added.
{{/usCountry}}The deployment of Kavach across these critical routes is expected to significantly boost operational safety and help prevent accidents, they added.
{{/usCountry}}Developed indigenously, Kavach is a state-of-the-art ATP system designed to prevent signal passing at danger (SPAD), enforce speed regulations, and enable automatic braking in emergency situations.
Indian Railways has set an ambitious target to roll out Kavach 4.0 across key national routes over the next six years. More than 30,000 railway personnel have already been trained to operate the system. With annual investments exceeding ₹1 lakh crore in safety infrastructure, Indian Railways is pushing toward safe and modern rail travel, said officials.