Indian Railways Safety Spend Triples to ₹1.17 Lakh Cr; Kavach on 23,360 Rkm
New Delhi – February 13, 2026: Indian Railways has increased its safety expenditure from ₹39,200 crore in 2013-14 to ₹1,17,693 crore in 2025-26, prioritizing passenger safety amid network modernization. The data, shared by Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in Rajya Sabha, highlights a decade-long focus on accident prevention and advanced safety systems.
Kavach Automatic Train Protection System
The indigenously developed Kavach system, India’s national Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, has been deployed on 23,360 route kilometres covering the Golden Quadrilateral, Golden Diagonal, High Density Network, and other key sections.
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Version 4.0 of Kavach, approved by RDSO in July 2024, is currently commissioned on 1,297 route km, including high-density corridors such as Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah.
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Key features include improved location accuracy, signal aspect visibility in yards, station-to-station communication, and integration with electronic interlocking systems.
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Deployment progress includes 8,570 km of optical fibre cable, 938 telecom towers, 767 station data centers, 5,672 Rkm of track-side equipment, and 4,154 locomotives equipped with Kavach.
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Specialized training has been provided to over 48,000 personnel, including loco pilots and engineers, in collaboration with IRISET.
The total expenditure on Kavach up to December 2025 is ₹2,573.36 crore, with an allocation of ₹1,673.19 crore for 2025-26. Installation costs are approximately ₹50 lakh/km for trackside equipment and ₹80 lakh per locomotive.
CCTV Deployment
To further enhance passenger security, Indian Railways has installed CCTV cameras in 12,300 coaches, including Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains, and 460 locomotives. The cameras aim to deter criminal activity, vandalism, and theft while assisting investigations when incidents occur.
Conclusion
The combined deployment of Kavach and CCTV technology reflects Indian Railways’ commitment to passenger safety and modernization, leveraging advanced technology and substantial financial investment to maintain one of the world’s largest rail networks.