Indian Railways Adopts AI for Passenger Safety
Amrit Bharat Express Train ! (Image Ministry of Railways)
From detecting elephants on tracks to deploying the upgraded Kavach 4.0 anti-collision system, Indian Railways accelerates its shift toward AI-driven, automated safety infrastructure.
By AMIT KUMAR
New Delhi, December 5, 2025— Indian Railways is accelerating efforts to improve passenger safety by embracing cutting-edge technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Northern Railways (NR) is already using AI across a 141-km stretch to detect elephant movement near rail tracks—a major cause of accidents in the region.
Following its success, Railways has now invited bids to expand the system across 981 kilometres, enabling loco pilots, station masters and control rooms to receive real-time, accurate alerts on elephant movement. This early-warning system significantly reduces the risk of collisions and allows timely preventive action.
To strengthen safety further, Railways has put in place online rolling-stock monitoring, supported by a July 2025 MoU between Indian Railways and the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation for deploying modern inspection systems. A separate agreement with Delhi Metro focuses on developing an automotive wheel profile measurement system.
Kavach Anti-Collision System Gets Major Push
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the national transporter is expanding the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection (ATP) system, designed to prevent collisions by applying automatic brakes if the loco pilot fails to respond.
Kavach is already operational on:
- Palwal–Mathura–Nagda section on the Delhi–Mumbai corridor (633 route km)
- Howrah–Bardhaman section on the Delhi–Howrah route (105 route km)
Work has begun to implement Kavach along 15,512 route kilometres of trackside infrastructure.
The upgraded Kavach 4.0 brings:
- Higher location accuracy
- Enhanced yard signal information
- OFC-based station interface
- Direct integration with electronic interlocking
Apart from improving braking response, Kavach assists loco pilots during poor visibility and adverse weather, providing an additional safety layer.
India’s Shift to Automated, AI-Driven Rail Safety
The first trials of this safety system began in 2016, and Kavach was officially adopted as the National ATP in 2020. The system involves deploying station-level Kavach units, RFID tags along the track, and optical fibre cables nationwide to support end-to-end automation.
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