BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based NOVA Control Tecnologix, a deep-tech subsidiary of e2E Transportation Infrastructure Limited, on Thursday announced its official launch as India’s full-stack Rail Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). NOVA is in a strategic partnership with Tata Elxsi to co-develop Kavach 4.0, the next generation of India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.
Speaking at the launch, IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said, “We have nearly a lakh kilometres of railway network and over eight billion journeys a year. In the past decade, we’ve had close to 800 accidents, over 2,500 injuries, and about a thousand lives lost — lives that could have been saved. What has been built here today can revolutionise not just Indian Railways but rail systems globally.”
“The technology and product unveiled today offer immense value to Indian Railways. With Kavach 4.0 already rolled out on 1,600km and set to cover 100,000km in the next few years, I urge NOVA, e2E Rail and Indian Railways to consider setting up a Centre of Excellence for Railway Mobility here in Karnataka,” he stated.
Speaking during the launch, CEO Sourajit Mukherjee said, “With NOVA, we are setting a new benchmark — for the first time in India, a signalling system integrator has also become an original equipment manufacturer... Kavach is not just another product; it is a national mission to make train travel in India safer than ever before,” he added.
Kavach 4.0, India’s indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system, is designed to enhance safety as train speeds increase.
The system comprises three subsystems — stationary, on-board, and a backbone communication network — ensuring real-time coordination between trains and signals. “If a loco overspeeds or crosses its limit, Kavach automatically applies brakes,” explained a design engineer, while a design lead added that its “two-out-of-two CPU design” and diversified hardware-software architecture ensures the highest safety integrity. Kavach integrates safety, communication and intelligence into one compact system, stated the designers.