The Central government has approved Rs 309.26 crore for the installation of the indigenous automatic train protection system, 'Kavach', over 790 km in the North Central Railway (NCR) zone.

This safety initiative falls under the national project titled ‘Kavach and Communication Backbone through LTE for Balance Routes of Indian Railways,’ which is part of the 2024–25 Works, Machinery & Rolling Stock Programme, with a total outlay of Rs 27,693 crore. The sanctioned amount will fund Kavach deployment across divisions including Prayagraj, Agra, and Jhansi, covering key sections such as Shikohabad-Farrukhabad (103.58 km), Dholpur-Sarmathura (70 km), LalitpurKhajuraho (164 km), and others.

Kavach is a homegrown automatic train protection (ATP) system aimed at preventing signal passing at danger (SPAD), regulating train speed, and enabling automatic braking in emergencies. Indian Railways plans to implement Kavach 4.0 across major routes within six years. More than 30,000 railway personnel have been trained for its deployment. The government has significantly ramped up railway safety investments, which now exceed Rs 1 lakh crore annually, underscoring its commitment to modernising rail infrastructure and passenger safety.