Indian Railways Approves Kavach 4.0 in Izzatnagar Division

Indian Railways approved the deployment of Kavach Version 4.0 across 660 route kilometres of the Izzatnagar Division of the North Eastern Railway on 12 August 2026. The sanctioned budget for the project is ₹295 crore, and the plan falls under the umbrella initiative titled “Provision of Kavach with communication backbone of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) on balance sections of Indian Railways”.

Kavach as an Automatic Train Protection System

Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed for Indian Railways. An ATP system is a train safety technology that monitors train movement, checks signal compliance, and applies brakes when required to prevent accidents.

Kavach is designed to prevent Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) incidents, which occur when a train passes a stop signal without authority. The system is also intended to reduce the risk of train collisions by maintaining continuous supervision of train operations.

Version 4.0 and Operational Features

Kavach Version 4.0 is designed to improve operational reliability on rail routes with heavy traffic and low visibility conditions. The system can automatically apply brakes when necessary and support safe train movement at maximum permissible speeds during dense fog.

Before this approval, Indian Railways had commissioned Kavach Version 4.0 on 1,452 route kilometres, including the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah high-density corridors. These corridors are among the busiest railway routes in India.

Izzatnagar Division Coverage

The approved installation in the Izzatnagar Division will cover 53 stations. The routes included in the project are Kasganj-Izzatnagar, Izzatnagar-Kathgodam, and Bhojipura-Tanakpur.

North Eastern Railway is one of the 18 railway zones of Indian Railways. The Izzatnagar Division is a division under North Eastern Railway and operates in parts of Uttar Pradesh and adjoining rail sections.

Important Facts for Exams

• Kavach is India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection system.
• SPAD stands for Signal Passed at Danger.
• Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, is a 4G mobile communication technology used in the project’s communication backbone.
• Indian Railways had completed 19,700 kilometres of track fencing across its network.

Indian Railways had already commissioned Kavach Version 4.0 on 1,452 route kilometres before the Izzatnagar approval. The project covers 53 stations in the Izzatnagar Division.