UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Indian Railways Approves Projects worth ₹1,236 Crore to Upgrade Communication and Kavach System

Q1. Under the Kavach Automatic Train Protection system, at what interval are RFID tags installed along the length of the track (apart from those at every signal)?

  • A. At every 1 km
  • B. At every 5 km
  • C. At every 500 metres
  • D. At every 10 km

Q2. Which one of the following onboard/trackside sub-systems of Kavach directly reads the trackside RFID tags and relays the locomotive's position via Ultra High Frequency radio?

  • A. Loco Kavach
  • B. Station Kavach
  • C. Optical Fibre Cable backbone
  • D. Telecom tower

Q3. The Kavach Version 4.0 specification was approved by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in which year?

  • A. 2024
  • B. 2020
  • C. 2016
  • D. 2012

Q4. As per Indian Railways, how many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are currently approved for the supply of the Kavach system?

  • A. 3
  • B. 2
  • C. 5
  • D. 7

Q5. With reference to the ₹1,236 crore projects sanctioned by Indian Railways in March 2026, consider the following project–sanctioned cost pairs: 1. Central Railway dual-path fibre communication network — ₹623.63 crore 2. Western Railway Rajkot & Bhavnagar fibre network — ₹302.26 crore 3. Kavach 4.0 on 548 km of Southern Railway — ₹310.18 crore 4. Kavach deployment on the Rajkot & Bhavnagar section — ₹310.18 crore Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. Central Railway dual-path fibre communication network — ₹623.63 crore
  2. Western Railway Rajkot & Bhavnagar fibre network — ₹302.26 crore
  3. Kavach 4.0 on 548 km of Southern Railway — ₹310.18 crore
  4. Kavach deployment on the Rajkot & Bhavnagar section — ₹310.18 crore
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. In the Central Railway component of the sanctioned project, communication fibres are carried over the electric traction lines using 'OPGW'. What does OPGW refer to?

  • A. Optical Ground Wire — an overhead earth/ground wire with optical fibres embedded in it
  • B. Overhead Power Grid Wire used solely to carry 25 kV traction current
  • C. Optical Point Gateway Wire that converts radio signals to light pulses at stations
  • D. Optical Protection Guard Wire laid underground beside the track for redundancy

Q7. With reference to the rollout of Kavach, consider the following statements: 1. Kavach 4.0 has been commissioned on the high-density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes. 2. Kavach Version 3.2 was earlier deployed on 1,465 route km of South Central Railway. 3. Cumulative Kavach 4.0 commissioning on the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes has crossed 5,000 route km. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Kavach 4.0 has been commissioned on the high-density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes.
  2. Kavach Version 3.2 was earlier deployed on 1,465 route km of South Central Railway.
  3. Cumulative Kavach 4.0 commissioning on the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes has crossed 5,000 route km.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. Trackside Kavach implementation is being taken up across certain priority route networks of Indian Railways. Consider the following: 1. Golden Quadrilateral 2. Golden Diagonal 3. High Density Network 4. Diamond Quadrilateral Which of the above are correctly identified as networks covered by the Kavach trackside coverage plan?

  1. Golden Quadrilateral
  2. Golden Diagonal
  3. High Density Network
  4. Diamond Quadrilateral
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q9. Which organisation indigenously developed the Kavach system and approves its technical specifications?

  • A. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
  • B. Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS)
  • C. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)
  • D. Integral Coach Factory (ICF)

Q10. With reference to the development of the Kavach system, consider the following statements: 1. Kavach has been developed indigenously in India. 2. Kavach is functionally an Automatic Train Protection system, comparable to the European Train Control System (ETCS). 3. Kavach was imported from a foreign OEM and later localised in India. 4. Three OEMs are currently approved to supply Kavach. Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. Kavach has been developed indigenously in India.
  2. Kavach is functionally an Automatic Train Protection system, comparable to the European Train Control System (ETCS).
  3. Kavach was imported from a foreign OEM and later localised in India.
  4. Three OEMs are currently approved to supply Kavach.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. Kavach is described as India's indigenous counterpart to which one of the following internationally deployed train-control/protection systems?

  • A. European Train Control System (ETCS)
  • B. Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC)
  • C. Positive Train Control (PTC)
  • D. Automatic Block Signalling (ABS)
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