UPSC Prelims 2025 Q82: National Rail Plan and Kavach — Explained

Consider the following statements:

I. Indian Railways have prepared a National Rail Plan (NRP) to create a 'future ready' railway system by 2028.

II. 'Kavach' is an Automatic Train Protection system developed in collaboration with Germany.

III. 'Kavach' system consists of RFID tags fitted on track in station section.

Which of the statements given above are not correct?

  1. I and II only
  2. II and III only
  3. I and III only
  4. I, II and III

Answer: (a) I and II only

Statement-wise explanation

  • I: incorrect — Indian Railways did prepare a National Rail Plan (NRP), but its target year is 2030, not 2028. The full name is the National Rail Plan for India – 2030. The Union Budget 2021-22 described it as a plan to create a 'future ready' railway system by 2030. Because the year is wrong, the statement is not correct.
  • II: incorrect — Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Indian Railways developed it with Indian firms. Germany played no part. It was adopted as India's national ATP system in July 2020 and is certified to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4).
  • III: correct — RFID tags laid along the track are a core part of Kavach. The Ministry of Railways says they are placed about every 1 km and at every signal, so the locomotive always knows its exact position. A Station Kavach unit at each station and block section works with these tags and with the Loco Kavach on the engine.

How to eliminate

The question asks which statements are NOT correct, so read it carefully before marking. Statement II can be settled from basic current affairs. Kavach is widely presented as a 'Make in India', indigenous system built by RDSO, so 'developed in collaboration with Germany' is false. That leaves the options that contain II: I and II only, II and III only, or all three. Statement III is a technical detail, but it is plausible. A train-protection system needs fixed position markers on the track, and RFID tags are the standard way to provide them. Nothing in the statement is extreme. For Statement I, the clue is the plan's name: 'National Rail Plan 2030'. A plan named after 2030 is unlikely to have 2028 as its target. This question rewards knowing two facts by heart: NRP's target year is 2030, and Kavach is indigenous (RDSO, 2020).

Know more

National Rail Plan (NRP) 2030. Indian Railways prepared the NRP, and the Union Budget 2021-22 highlighted it. Its aims:

  • build capacity 'ahead of demand', planned for traffic up to 2050
  • raise the Railways' share of freight traffic to 45%
  • raise the average speed of freight trains to 50 km/h
  • identify new Dedicated Freight Corridors and High-Speed Rail corridors

'Vision 2024' was a fast-track part of the NRP. It covered full electrification, multitracking of congested routes, and raising speeds to 160 km/h on the Delhi–Howrah and Delhi–Mumbai routes.

Kavach ("armour") is India's own Automatic Train Protection system. RDSO developed it with Indian industry. It was adopted as the national ATP in July 2020, and RDSO approved specification version 4.0 on 16 July 2024. If the loco pilot fails to act, Kavach applies the brakes on its own. It also prevents collisions and passing a red signal (SPAD).

Kavach component Where it sits What it does
RFID tags On the track, about every 1 km and at each signal Give the train its exact location
Loco Kavach On the locomotive Reads tags, shows signals in the cab, brakes automatically
Station Kavach At every station and block section Takes signal data and sends movement authority to the loco
Telecom towers and optical fibre Along the route Carry radio and data links between station and loco

Kavach's certification, SIL-4, is the highest safety-integrity level. Exam traps to watch: foreign collaboration, wrong target years, and mixing up Kavach with the European Train Control System (ETCS).

In the news

Kavach was often in the news in 2024. The 17 June 2024 Kanchanjunga Express collision in West Bengal renewed calls for faster rollout, and RDSO approved Kavach 4.0 in July 2024. Railway safety and modernisation plans such as the NRP were therefore likely picks for the 2025 paper.

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Kavach: Statements II and III both test what Kavach is, who built it, and how it tracks a train's position.
  • Dedicated freight corridor: The National Rail Plan in Statement I sets out new Dedicated Freight Corridors to raise rail's freight share.

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