Indian Railways clears Rs 170 crore plan to install Kavach 4.0 across 712 km in Moradabad

Indian Railways has approved a Rs 170 crore project to deploy Kavach Version 4.0 across the remaining 712 route kilometres of the Moradabad Division under Northern Railway, in a move aimed at further strengthening train safety and modernising the signalling network.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the project will extend coverage of the indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system across the identified sections of the division. Kavach 4.0 is designed to provide an additional layer of protection by continuously monitoring train movements and intervening when operations enter an unsafe zone.

The system is capable of preventing Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD), automatically applying brakes when necessary, regulating train speed in critical situations and reducing the possibility of train collisions.

The ministry said the latest approval is part of Indian Railways' broader plan to expand Kavach coverage across the network and upgrade train protection and signalling infrastructure. The rollout is expected to improve operational safety, particularly on sections where train movements are dense and maintaining safe distances is critical.

The move comes against the backdrop of a significant decline in railway accidents in recent years. Ministry data shared in July showed that consequential train accidents fell by 88 per cent, from 135 in 2014-15 to 16 in 2025-26. Only two such accidents were reported in the current financial year up to June.

The Consequential Accident Index, which measures accidents per million train-kilometres, also improved substantially, falling from 0.11 in 2014-15 to 0.01 in 2025-26 — a reduction of around 91 per cent.

Alongside the expansion of train protection systems, Indian Railways has also increased spending on safety-related infrastructure. Expenditure in this area has risen from Rs 39,200 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,20,389 crore in 2026-27.

The ministry said safety upgrades have also included electrical and electronic interlocking systems with centralised operation at 6,671 stations, along with complete track circuiting at these stations. Interlocking systems have additionally been installed at 10,395 level crossing gates to improve safety at vulnerable road-rail crossings.

The expansion of Kavach 4.0 in Moradabad Division is therefore part of a wider shift towards technology-driven railway safety, with automatic train protection increasingly being integrated into the network alongside upgraded signalling and infrastructure.