South Western Railway rolls out anti-collision system, to cover entire 3,692-km network

Bengaluru: Kavach, the indigenous automatic train protection system, has been approved for implementation across the South Western Railway (SWR) network, covering 3,692 route kilometres (RKM), according to the zone’s top official. 

The system will be rolled out in two phases. Phase I will cover 1,568 RKM at a cost of Rs 628.63 crore, while Phase 2 will cover the remaining 2,124 RKM, SWR General Manager Mukul Saran Mathur said at a media briefing here on Tuesday. 

Hindi for shield, Kavach is a collision-avoidance system that can help prevent both head-on and rear-end train collisions. It automatically applies brakes if the locopilot violates speed restrictions or fails to act in time to prevent signal passing at danger. 

The detailed estimate for the first phase was sanctioned in November 2024. The work for the survey, design, supply and installation of towers was awarded in February 2025 to IRP Infra Tech Private Limited, Guntur, for Rs 63.27 crore. It will be completed in August 2026, he added. 

Under Phase I, 790 RKM in the Hubballi and Mysuru divisions will be covered. The contract, awarded in June 2025 to the RVNL-GEW joint venture for Rs 261.88 crore, includes the Hubballi-Ballari, Haveri-Hubballi-Londa, Londa-Miraj and Haveri-Arsikere sections. 

In addition, the contract for Kavach installation on 778 RKM in the Bengaluru and Mysuru divisions was awarded in May 2025 to IRCON International Ltd for Rs 253.56 crore. This will cover Arsikere-Yeshwantpur, Baiyappanahalli-Dharmavaram, Bengaluru-Jolarpettai, Bengaluru-Mysuru and Bengaluru-Yeshwantpur-Dharmapuri sections, Mathur explained. 

Under Phase 2, three itemised works were approved in January 2025. Detailed estimates for installing Kavach for 456 RKM in the Bengaluru division for Rs 270.70 crore have been sanctioned. This will cover Penukonda-Dharmavaram, Omlur-Dharmapuri, Yelahanka-Bangarapet and other sections, he added. 

Mukul Saran Mathur General Manager SWR.

For the remaining portions — 862 RKM in Hubballi division (Rs 459.41 crore) and 806 RKM in Mysuru division (Rs 436.39 crore) — detailed estimates are under accounts vetting, Mathur said. 

This apart, work to equip 299 locomotives with Loco Kavach has also been sanctioned, and the detailed estimate is under accounts vetting, he said. 

Electrification

Mathur stated that nearly 90% of the SWR network is now fully electrified. Out of the SWR network of 3,692 RKM, 3,303.415 RKM (6,179.4918 TKM) has been electrified. The railway zone saved Rs 887.41 crore by switching from diesel to electric engines in the last three years. In all, 147 trains now run on electric traction, he added. 

He also spoke about constraints in utilising the full benefits of railway electrification, pointing to issues with transmission lines from substations.