UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Indian Railways Speeds Up Kavach 4.0 Safety Rollout with 472 km Commissioned Across Three Sections

Q1. Which of the following is/are correctly identified as core safety functions of the Kavach system?

  1. Prevention of Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD).
  2. Automatic application of brakes when a train over-speeds.
  3. Automatic issuance of e-tickets to onboard passengers.
  4. Protection against head-on and rear-end train collisions.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. With reference to the evolution of the Kavach system, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

  1. Kavach originated from the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) developed with Indian manufacturers.
  2. Kavach was adopted as the National ATP system in July 2020.
  3. The Kavach Version 4.0 specification was approved by RDSO in July 2024.
  4. Kavach Version 4.0 was first commissioned in the year 2020 on the Vadodara–Virar section.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q3. Regarding the development history of Kavach, which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The precursor TCAS was developed by RDSO in association with three Indian firms.
  2. RDSO approved the Kavach Version 4.0 specification on 16 July 2024.
  3. Following the Version 4.0 approval, Kavach 4.0 was first commissioned on the Sawai Madhopur–Kota section.
  4. Field trials of Kavach on passenger trains began in the year 2012.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. With reference to the Kavach 4.0 commissioning of 30 January 2026, which of the following section-and-figure pairs is/are correctly identified?

  1. Vadodara–Virar — 344 km
  2. Tuglakabad Junction Cabin–Palwal — 35 km
  3. Manpur–Sarmatanr — 93.3 km
  4. Total route km commissioned on that single day — 738 km
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. Which one of the following became the first Kavach-equipped train to run from Mumbai?

  • A. Train No. 20907 Dadar–Bhuj Sayajinagri Express
  • B. Train No. 12951 Mumbai–New Delhi Rajdhani Express
  • C. Mumbai–Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express
  • D. Deccan Queen Express

Q6. With reference to the three sections where Kavach 4.0 was commissioned on 30 January 2026, which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Vadodara–Virar section lies on the Western Railway.
  2. Tuglakabad Junction Cabin–Palwal section lies on the Northern Railway.
  3. Manpur–Sarmatanr section lies on the East Central Railway.
  4. The Tuglakabad Junction Cabin–Palwal section, at 35 km, was the longest of the three sections commissioned.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. Among the sections on which Kavach 4.0 was commissioned on 30 January 2026, which one was the longest by route kilometres?

  • A. Vadodara–Virar (344 km)
  • B. Manpur–Sarmatanr (93.3 km)
  • C. Tuglakabad Junction Cabin–Palwal (35 km)
  • D. Howrah–Bardhaman (105 km)

Q8. With reference to the institutional framework of the Kavach programme, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

  1. The Ministry of Railways is the implementing ministry for Kavach.
  2. RDSO, headquartered at Lucknow, developed the Kavach specification.
  3. Kavach was developed in association with three Indian firms/OEMs.
  4. The Kavach technical specification is approved by NITI Aayog.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q9. The technical specification of Kavach Version 4.0 was approved by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
  • B. Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)
  • C. RailTel Corporation of India
  • D. Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET)

Q10. The Kavach 4.0 rollout — first commissioned on the Sawai Madhopur–Kota section and later expanded to the Palwal–Mathura–Nagda and Howrah–Bardhaman sections — is operationalised on the ground primarily by which one of the following?

  • A. Zonal Railways under the Ministry of Railways
  • B. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL)
  • C. National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL)
  • D. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)

Q11. With reference to Kavach and its comparison with global Automatic Train Protection systems, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

  1. Kavach is certified to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4), the highest safety integrity level.
  2. Like the European ETCS, Kavach is an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.
  3. Kavach uses trackside RFID tags and UHF radio communication.
  4. Kavach is an imported system licensed from the European ERTMS/ETCS consortium.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 4 only