Indian Railways Commissions Kavach System on Prayagraj–Kanpur Section of Delhi–Howrah Corridor

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

The Kavach system was successfully implemented through Train No. 14163, marking a major step towards enhancing railway safety, operational efficiency, and enabling higher train speeds of up to 160 kmph on one of the busiest rail corridors in the country.

In the initial phase, Kavach has been activated on eight pairs of trains, including 14113/14114, 14163/14164, 12307/12308, 12417/12418, 22437/22438, 15003/15004, 20433/20434, and 12403/12404, with plans to progressively extend the system to additional trains, including Vande Bharat services.

The commissioning follows extensive trials conducted across multiple train configurations, including WAP-7 locomotives with varying coach compositions and a 20-coach Vande Bharat rake. Passenger trials were also carried out successfully on Train No. 15003/15004 (Chauri Chaura Express), demonstrating reliable system performance under regular operating conditions.

More than 20,000 km of passenger trial runs were completed prior to commissioning, with all system validations meeting required safety and performance standards, marking a significant advancement in India’s railway safety infrastructure.