Railway Ministry Allocates Rs 1112.57 Cr For Kavach In 2024-25: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Rs 1,112.57 crore has been allocated for the installation of the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system Kavach in the financial year of 2024-25, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Responding to the questions raised by DMK MPs Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and Rani Srikumar on the details regarding the funds allocated and utilised for installation of Kavach system in the country, Vaishnaw said, "The funds utilized on Kavach works so far is Rs 1,216.77 cr. The allocation of funds during the year 2024-25 is Rs 1,112.57 Cr.” According to Vaishnaw, Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system which is highly technology intensive and requires safety certification of the highest order.

"Kavach aids the loco pilot in train running within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case Loco Pilot fails to do so and also helps the train to run safely during inclement weather," Vaishnaw said.

"Implementation of Kavach involves execution of many activities, such as installation of Station Kavach at every station, installation of RFID tags throughout the track length, installation of Telecom Towers throughout the section, laying of optical Fibre cable along the track and provision of Loco Kavach on every Locomotive running on Indian Railways," he added.

The minister stated that so far Kavach has been deployed on 1,465 Route km and 144 locomotives on South Central Railway. Providing the progress status of Kavach installation on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors (approximately 3,000 Route km), Vaishnaw said that Optical Fibre Cable has been laid on 4,275 km and 364 telecom towers have been installed.

He added that Kavach equipment has been installed on 285 stations, 319 locos and 1,384 km of rail track. According to Vaishnaw, the Indian Railways has also prepared Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Detailed Estimate on another 6,000 Route km and on July 16, 2024, Kavach 4.0 specification was also approved by RDSO.

"This version covers all the major features required for the diverse railway network. This is a significant milestone in safety for Indian Railways. Within a short period, IR has developed, tested and started deploying the Automatic Train Protection System," Vaishnaw said.

"Kavach is provided progressively in a phased manner. To increase capacity and scale up implementation, trials and approval of more OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) are at different stages," he added.