New Delhi, Feb 14 : The Indian Railways has tripled its expenditure on safety over the past decade, increasing from ₹39,200 crore in 2013-14 to ₹1,17,693 crore in 2025-26, prioritising passenger protection amid ongoing modernisation, the Parliament was informed on Friday.
“Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. Various measures over the years have led to a steep decline in accidents,” Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
A key initiative has been the indigenously developed hi-tech Kavach Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, certified at the highest safety level (SIL-4). First trialled in 2016, Kavach automatically applies brakes if a train exceeds speed limits or the driver fails to act, ensuring safe operations even in adverse weather.
Up to December 2025, ₹2,573.36 crore has been allocated for Kavach works, with ₹1,673.19 crore earmarked for 2025-26. The latest Kavach Version 4.0, approved by RDSO in July 2024, has been commissioned on 1,297 route km, including key sections of the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors, covering high density routes. Trackside deployment is underway on 23,360 route km across important sections nationwide.
Training has been a major focus: over 48,000 railway personnel, including 45,000 Loco Pilots and Assistant Loco Pilots, have been trained on Kavach technology at centralised institutes in collaboration with IRISET. Trackside equipment costs approximately ₹50 lakh per km, while locomotive installations cost about ₹80 lakh per unit.
In addition, Indian Railways is installing CCTV cameras in coaches and locomotives to enhance passenger safety and security. About 12,300 coaches, including all operational Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains, and 460 locomotives are now equipped with cameras, helping deter vandalism, theft, and misconduct while assisting investigations.
These comprehensive safety measures demonstrate Indian Railways’ commitment to modernisation and passenger protection, making it one of the safest railway networks in the country.