Indian Railways Deploys Kavach 4.0 On Gujarat's Bajwaahmedabad Section, Enhancing Rail Safety

(MENAFN- KNN India) Gandhinagar, Dec 30 (KNN) Indian Railways has commissioned the indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system, Kavach 4.0, on Gujarat's Bajwa (Vadodara)–Ahmedabad railway section, marking a significant milestone in railway safety infrastructure.

The newly commissioned stretch covers 96 km and represents the first deployment of Kavach 4.0 in the state, further expanding the system's national footprint.

The Bajwa–Ahmedabad section includes 17 stations and is supported by extensive safety and communication infrastructure. This comprises 23 towers, 20 Kavach buildings or huts, nearly 192 km of optical fibre cable, and the installation of 2,872 RFID tags.

With this commissioning, the total Kavach-enabled network across the country has crossed 2,200 route kilometres.

The maiden Kavach-enabled train on this section was the Sankalp Fast Passenger (59549/59550), operated using WAP-7 locomotives and 11 LHB coaches. Kavach 4.0 is now fully operational on the route, providing continuous protection during train movements.

The system is designed to automatically mitigate critical safety risks, including prevention of accidents arising from Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD), automatic speed control covering sectional speed, loop line speed and Permanent Speed Restriction supervision, and protection against both head-on and rear-end collisions.

Additional features include an SOS facility for emergencies and automatic whistling at level crossing gates to enhance safety at manned and unmanned crossings.

Kavach is certified to Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4), one of the highest global safety standards in railway signalling. It assists Loco Pilots by automatically applying brakes when prescribed speed limits are exceeded or when operational safety is compromised, including during adverse weather conditions.

Continuous upgrades based on operational experience and independent safety assessments led to the approval of Kavach Version 4.0 by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).

The latest version incorporates improved location accuracy for precise train positioning, better signal aspect information in large and complex station yards, station-to-station interfacing through optical fibre for faster communication, and direct integration with existing electronic interlocking systems.

These enhancements make Kavach 4.0 more robust, responsive, and suitable for large-scale deployment across India's high-density rail network. The system has also been certified by an Independent Safety Assessor, confirming compliance with global safety benchmarks.

The commissioning of Kavach 4.0 on the Bajwa–Ahmedabad section reinforces Indian Railways' commitment to deploying indigenous safety technologies, strengthening passenger safety, improving operational reliability, and advancing the vision of a safer and smarter rail network across the country.

(KNN Bureau)

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