Mumbai Local Trains Set For Major Safety Upgrade As Railways Develop Kavach 5.0 To Boost Capacity

Indian Railways is developing Kavach 5.0, a version of its indigenous Automatic Train Protection system for high-density suburban operations.

Kavach 5.0 is expected to reduce train headway to allow local trains to run at intervals of around two minutes instead of the current three minutes.

The system will function as a cab-based signalling system, displaying signal information in the driver's cabin to reduce dependence on trackside signals.

Kavach 5.0 aims to prevent signal violations, overspeeding, and collisions, while enabling Mumbai's suburban network to handle up to 4,000 services daily.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the development on April 11, 2025, and RDSO is finalising the technical specifications.