Priyank Kharge inaugurates Kavach 4.0 train safety system facility in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 23 (PTI) Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge inaugurated the manufacturing facility of Kavach 4.0, the next generation of India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, here on Thursday.

NOVA Control Tecnologix (NOVA) is in a strategic partnership with Tata Elxsi to co-develop Kavach 4.0, a milestone in railway safety and technology innovation, the company said.

NOVA, a deep-tech subsidiary of e2E Transportation Infrastructure Limited, announced its official launch as India’s full-stack Rail Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), according to a statement from the company.

The collaboration between NOVA and Tata Elxsi marks a major step towards strengthening India’s RailTech ecosystem and aligns with the Ministry of Railways’ modernisation and Make in India vision.

Speaking on the occasion, IT Minister Priyank Kharge, said, "Every global product will have at least one line of code written in Karnataka. The collaboration between NOVA and Tata Elxsi on Kavach 4.0 is a shining example of how Karnataka continues to lead India’s engineering and technology evolution." "This revolutionary, Indian-made safety system has the potential to redefine railway safety and transform mobility worldwide. What has been built here could save thousands of lives and set new global benchmarks in safety and innovation," he added.

Calling the project a milestone in the Make-in-India and Digital India journey, Kharge added that Karnataka’s strength lies in its 'three-P policy — People, Policy, and Participation' and emphasised that such collaborations exemplify how industry, academia, and government can together drive transformative innovation from India to the world.

According to the statement, NOVA will serve as the primary OEM for Kavach 4.0, responsible for manufacturing, testing, and integrating, while Tata Elxsi will lead on hardware and software design, prototypes, safety certification (in compliance with RDSO standards and SIL4 compliance, the highest global safety standard), and cybersecurity engineering.

"Together, the companies aim to accelerate nationwide development and deployment of Kavach 4.0 across India’s railway network — building a self-reliant, world-class ATP ecosystem that enhances passenger safety and operational efficiency," it added. PTI AMP ADB