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The implementation of the indigenous railway safety system Kavach 4.0 on two important corridors, Delhi to Howrah and Delhi to Mumbai, is in a "very advanced stage," Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.
"Kavach is in a very advanced stage on two big corridors Delhi to Howrah (near Kolkata) and Delhi to Mumbai. Around 1,200 locomotives are installed already," Vaishnaw said while addressing the 41st Raising Day ceremony of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Valsad, Gujarat. The system is being rolled out on both routes, covering nearly 3,000 route kilometres in total. According to the minister, tenders have been awarded and preparatory works, such as laying optical fibre cables and setting up telecom towers, are underway. The Kota-Mathura section, part of the Delhi-Mumbai route, had Kavach commissioned in July 2025. Developed indigenously, Kavach is designed to prevent train collisions by automatically controlling speed and ensuring trains stop when a signal is red. It functions at Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL 4), which is the highest safety standard for such systems. The technology aims to make Indian Railways one of the safest transport networks in the world. Highlighting broader developments in the railway sector, Vaishnaw said, "Today, Indian Railways is undergoing a complete transformation. The era of neglect that the Railways faced for the past 50-60 years is now over." Speaking about other major infrastructure projects, the minister noted that "The bullet train project is progressing rapidly. Around 150 Vande Bharat services have already been launched. Nearly 30 Amrit Bharat services are also operational. After running the first two Namo Bharat services and gaining experience from them, mass production will now begin." Vaishnaw further underlined the ministry's achievements in railway expansion over the last decade. "In the past 11 years, around 35,000 kilometres of railway tracks have been laid. Today, more trains are able to run. It's currently the festive season, and 12,000 special trains are being operated. This has only been possible due to the improvements made in infrastructure," he said. (ANI)
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