Kavach commissioned on 190 route km of Prayagraj–Kanpur section of Delhi–Howrah corridor
On 22 March 2026 Indian Railways commissioned the indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection system on the 190 route-km Prayagraj–Kanpur section in Uttar Pradesh, paving the way for 160 kmph operations on the Delhi–Howrah high-density corridor.
Summary
Indian Railways commissioned the Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system on the Prayagraj (excluding)–Kanpur (excluding) section of 190 route kilometres on the Delhi–Howrah high-density corridor on 22 March 2026, implemented through Train No. 14163. In the first phase Kavach is enabled on eight pairs of trains, with more trains and Vande Bharat to be added progressively. Before commissioning, trials were run with WAP-7 locomotives hauling 8, 16 and 22 LHB coaches and a 20-coach Vande Bharat rake, and more than 20,000 km of passenger trial runs were completed. Kavach provides automatic train protection, prevents Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) and applies brakes automatically in case of human error; the commissioning is a milestone towards 160 kmph running on this corridor.
Key facts
- System
- Kavach – indigenous Automatic Train Protection
- Section
- Prayagraj–Kanpur, 190 route km, Delhi–Howrah corridor
- Commissioned
- 22 March 2026, through Train No. 14163
- First phase
- 8 pairs of trains; Vande Bharat to follow
- Trials
- WAP-7 with 8/16/22 LHB coaches, 20-coach Vande Bharat; 20,000+ km passenger runs
- Enables
- 160 kmph operations
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Kavach, commissioned on the Prayagraj–Kanpur section in March 2026, is:
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Correct answer: A — An indigenous Automatic Train Protection system
Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system that prevents Signal Passing at Danger and applies brakes automatically.
On how many route kilometres of the Prayagraj–Kanpur section was Kavach commissioned on 22 March 2026?
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Correct answer: C — 190 route km
Kavach was commissioned on the 190 route-km Prayagraj (excluding)–Kanpur (excluding) section of the Delhi–Howrah corridor.
Consider the following about the Kavach commissioning of 22 March 2026: 1. The section lies on the Delhi–Mumbai high-density corridor. 2. More than 20,000 km of passenger trial runs were completed before commissioning. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 2 only
The Prayagraj–Kanpur section is on the Delhi–Howrah corridor, so statement 1 is wrong; over 20,000 km of passenger trials were completed.