Chandigarh: Indian Railways has approved the installation of the indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system on the remaining broad-gauge sections of the Ambala Division, providing a major boost to railway safety across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
The project, covering 811 route kilometres, has been sanctioned at a cost of ₹201 crore under the nationwide programme for deploying Kavach with an LTE-based communication backbone across the railway network.
According to an official statement, the safety system will be installed on several important rail corridors, including Ambala Cantonment–Ludhiana, Kalka–Chandigarh–New Morinda–Sahnewal, Sirhind–Daulatpur Chowk, Rajpura–Bathinda–Shri Ganganagar and Ludhiana–Dhuri–Jakhal sections.
These routes serve as vital transportation links connecting Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and handle substantial passenger and freight traffic. Railway officials said the project will significantly enhance operational safety while improving the reliability of train services across the region.
In a parallel move, Indian Railways has also approved the installation of Kavach on 598 route kilometres covering 48 block sections of the Ahmedabad Division of Western Railway in Gujarat at an estimated cost of ₹140 crore.
Officials noted that around 702 route kilometres in the Ahmedabad Division had already been sanctioned for Kavach deployment earlier. With the latest approval, the remaining routes will also be covered, ensuring comprehensive implementation of the safety system across the division.
Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system designed to prevent Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) incidents. The technology can automatically apply brakes when a train driver fails to respond to warning signals, regulate speeds under critical conditions and significantly reduce the risk of train collisions.
The expansion of Kavach forms part of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to modernise rail safety infrastructure and strengthen accident prevention mechanisms across the country’s railway network.
