Kavach not extended to all high-density routes, timeline missing

The question asked the Ministry of Railways to provide details on the zone-wise installation of the Kavach Automatic Train Protection System, including progress reviews, route coverage, pending installations (specifically in Southern Railway), and timelines for high-density routes.

Asked and answered by: Asked by Dr. D Ravi Kumar; Answered by the Ministry of Railways (Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw).

What the government said

• Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 2,569 Route Kilometres as of 20.07.2026, covering the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes.
• Track-side Kavach implementation work has been taken up on 21,858 Route Kilometres, including specific sections in Southern Railway (Gudur–Chennai Central–Arakkonaum–Renigunta, Arakkonaum–Jolarpettai, Shoranur–Ernakulam).
• Total progress includes laying 11,253 Km of Optical Fibre Cable, installing 1,668 Telecom Towers, 988 Station Data Centres, 7,726 RKm of track-side equipment, and fitting Kavach in 6,153 Locomotives.
• Work for installation of Kavach in an additional 7,327 Locomotives and 1,200 EMU/MEMU units has been taken up.
• Funds utilized on Kavach works up to June 2026 are Rs. 3,874 Crores, with an allocation of Rs. 2,066 Crores for 2026-27.
• More than 94,000 technicians, operators, and engineers (including about 57,000 Loco Pilots) have been trained on Kavach technology.

Also in the document

• The answer does not provide a specific timeline for extending Kavach to all high-density and accident-prone routes, as requested in part (d) of the question.
• The answer does not provide a specific list of 'pending installations' zone-wise, but states that work has been taken up on 21,858 RKm covering identified sections including those in Southern Railway.