Indian Railways Approves ₹223 Crore for Kavach 4.0

Indian Railways approved ₹223 crore on 28 September 2026 for the provision of Kavach Version 4.0 across 614.75 route kilometres in the Varanasi Division of North Eastern Railway. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system used in Indian Railways for train safety and signal compliance.

Kavach System

Kavach is an Automatic Train Protection system designed to prevent Signal Passing at Danger, a railway safety incident in which a train passes a signal showing danger. The system can apply brakes automatically when required and supports safer train movement through continuous monitoring of train operations. Kavach is certified as a Safety Integrity Level-4 system, which is the highest safety integrity level used in many safety-critical systems.

Kavach Version 4.0

Kavach Version 4.0 received approval from the Research Designs & Standards Organisation on 16 July 2024. The version includes technological upgrades and improved location accuracy compared with earlier versions. Indian Railways commissioned Kavach 4.0 for the first time on 23 September 2026 on the Malkajgiri-Kamareddi section of the Hyderabad Division of South Central Railway, which covers 108 route kilometres.

Coverage and Project Details

The latest approval covers the balance sections of the Varanasi Division to expand safety infrastructure for train operations. As of 20 August 2026, Kavach 4.0 had been implemented over 2,633 route kilometres, mainly on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. The Varanasi Division approval was part of a larger set of infrastructure projects worth ₹345 crore approved on the same date, including a 6-km rail line doubling project in Odisha.

Important Facts for Exams

• Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection system used by Indian Railways.
• Signal Passing at Danger, or SPAD, is a railway safety violation that Kavach is designed to prevent.
• Research Designs & Standards Organisation approved Kavach Version 4.0 on 16 July 2024.
• Kavach 4.0 was first commissioned on the Malkajgiri-Kamareddi section in September 2026.

Safety Integrity Level-4 is used for systems that require very high reliability in safety-critical operations. The Varanasi Division project covers 614.75 route kilometres of the North Eastern Railway.