Indian Railways has commissioned Kavach 4.0 on the 131-route-km Pagidipalli (Excl.) Vishunpuram Junction section of Secunderabad Division, further expanding the indigenous train protection system in Telangana.
The Ministry of Railways announced the commissioning on X, stating the deployment would enable safer and more seamless train operations in the region.
The latest development follows the commissioning of Kavach 4.0 on another section of South Central Railway (SCR) last month. On September 23, Indian Railways commissioned the system over 108 route km between Malkagiri and Kamareddi in Hyderabad Division, marking the first deployment of Kavach 4.0 on SCR.
What Kavach 4.0 means for train safety
Kavach is Indian Railways’ indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. It is designed to support local pilots in operating trains within prescribed speed limits and can automatically apply brakes if a loco pilot fails to do so when required.
The system is also designed to help prevent Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD), regulate train speeds in critical conditions and reduce collision risks. It also helps in train operations during adverse weather conditions, as per the Ministry of Railways. Kavach is a safety-critical system requiring Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4) certification.
What is different in Kavach 4.0?
Kavach 4.0 comprises technical improvements developed from experience recorded through the deployment of Version 3.2 over 1,465 route km on South Central Railway.
The latest version provides increased location accuracy for more precise train placement and enhanced information about signal aspects in larger railway yards. It also enables station-to-station Kavach communication through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC). It also offers a direct interface with existing Electronic Interlocking systems, as per PIB.
Kavach 4.0 specification was approved on July 16, 2024, by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), paving the way for its wide deployment across the railway network.
Kavach 4.0 deployment expands
Indian Railways has been gradually expanding Kavach 4.0 across major routes. As per the official data released in August 2026 by PIB, Kavach 4.0 had been successfully commissioned over 2,633 route km as of July 31, 2026.
This includes 1,423 route km on the Delhi-Mumbai route and 1,210 route km on the Delhi-Howrah route.
The September 23 commissioning on the 108-route km Malkagiri-Kamareddi section was the first Kavach 4.0 deployment on South Central Railway. The newly announced commissioning on the 131-route km Pagidipalli-Vishnupuram Junction section now extends the latest version system further within the zone.