Railways’ Major Achievement: Successful Commissioning of KAVACH 4.0 on Western Railway

Long-distance train travel is set to become much safer with the long-awaited commissioning of KAVACH 4.0. Western Railway has termed the project a major milestone in railway safety. The KAVACH 4.0 safety system is being implemented in phases on the Nagda–Vadodara–Surat–Virar–Mumbai Central rail corridor. As part of this plan, work on the Vadodara–Surat–Virar section, covering around 344 kilometres, has been completed, and the system was formally commissioned on 30 January 2026. With this, one of the busiest rail routes on Western Railway has moved a step closer to safer operations.

What is KAVACH and Why Is It a Game Changer?

KAVACH is an advanced train protection system that provides an additional safety layer to train operations. Its main aim is to reduce accidents caused by human error. The system helps prevent signal passing at danger, over-speeding, and both head-on and rear-end collisions. It also supports auto-whistling at level crossings and repeats signal aspects inside the locomotive cab during poor visibility, fog, or adverse weather conditions. The biggest strength of KAVACH 4.0 is that it is a fully indigenous technology, developed in India and not imported from abroad. This allows it to perform better in Indian operating conditions, traffic density, and weather. Western Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek, told News Nation that KAVACH is far more cost-effective than European safety systems like ETCS, offering higher safety at a lower cost and making it a practical and sustainable solution for Indian Railways.

Complex Technology, Fast Execution and Future-Ready Planning

The implementation of KAVACH on the Vadodara–Virar section involved extensive technical planning and execution. Separate designs were prepared for each station and every automatic signalling section. More than 8,000 RFID tags were installed along the tracks, 57 radio communication towers were set up, and optical fibre cables were laid along the entire route. Advanced KAVACH equipment was installed at stations, level crossings, and inside locomotives, followed by detailed trials and testing. At present, the system is operational on WAP-7 locomotives, and 364 locomotives on Western Railway have already been equipped with KAVACH. Work is progressing rapidly to extend the system across the entire broad-gauge network.

Work on the Vadodara–Surat–Virar section began in January 2023 and was successfully commissioned in January 2026. Earlier, the Vadodara–Ahmedabad section was commissioned with KAVACH in December 2025. With this, a total of 435 route kilometres on Western Railway are now protected by the KAVACH system, marking a significant step forward in strengthening railway safety.