New Delhi: Indian Railways has commissioned the indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system on the 190 route km Prayagraj (excluding)–Kanpur (excluding) section of the Delhi–Howrah high-density corridor on 22 March 2026.

The system was operationalised using Train No. 14163, with the General Manager conducting a footplate inspection between Subedarganj and Manauri stations to review its performance. Senior railway officials, including PHODs, DRM Prayagraj, and other divisional and headquarters officers, were present.

In the initial phase, Kavach will be deployed on eight pairs of trains, with more services, including Vande Bharat, to be added progressively.

The commissioning is a key step toward enabling train operations at speeds up to 160 kmph, while significantly enhancing safety and operational efficiency on a critical rail corridor.

Extensive trials were conducted prior to rollout, including runs with WAP-7 locomotives hauling 8, 16, and 22 LHB coaches, and a 20-coach Vande Bharat rake. Passenger trials on the Chauri Chaura Express also confirmed consistent performance. Over 20,000 km of trials have been completed successfully.

Kavach enhances safety through features such as automatic train protection, prevention of signal passing at danger (SPAD), and automatic braking in case of human error.

Developed under the Make in India initiative, Kavach is being deployed across Indian Railways. So far, Version 4.0 has been commissioned over 1,452 route km on the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah corridors.

In the next phase, the system will be introduced on the Ghaziabad–Tundla section as part of Mission Raftaar to support high-speed operations. DeshBharat