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Nova Control Technologix, a subsidiary of e2E Rail Ltd, is charting plans for international expansion targeting Southeast Asia, Europe, the US, and Africa, the company told businessline. The strategy hinges on leveraging its domestic credibility with Indian Railways to unlock global markets, according to Sourajit Mukherjee, Director and CEO, Nova Control Tecnologix. Nova has partnered with Tata Elxsi to develop Kavach 4.0, the next iteration of India’s indigenous automatic train protection system. The partnership comes days after e2E Rail filed its draft prospectus for a public listing. Kavach, crucial for preventing train collisions, is being expanded across Indian Railways’ network. The collaboration marks a significant private sector entry into developing critical rail safety infrastructure, a domain currently dominated by public enterprises. “Co-development, co-investment, everything is equally participated between these two companies,” said Manoj Raghvan, CEO & MD, Tata Elxsi. Under the arrangement, Tata Elxsi will handle technology co-development, while Nova will work with Indian Railways on certification, field trials, and system integration using SIL4-certified engineering standards. Tata Elxsi brings substantial rail infrastructure experience, having worked on mechanical and structural systems for Chennai Metro, Delhi Metro, and Kochi Metro rolling stock. Global opportunity The global market opportunity is massive. While Indian Railways operates over 100,000 kilometers of track, the fourth-largest network globally, the worldwide railway network spans approximately 1.5 million kilometers. Even excluding mature markets such as Europe and the US (which account for 25-30 per cent of global rail infrastructure), two-thirds to three-fourths of the world’s railway network still requires modernisation, particularly upgrades to signalling and protection systems. “When it comes to coverage, we see a lot of potential and need for Indian Railways to get such solutions accessible,” Mukherjee noted. Nova is particularly focused on high-growth regions, including West Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, markets that share economic ties and historical connections with India. Additionally, greenfield rail projects across these regions present fresh opportunities for deploying advanced safety systems from the ground up. The initial implementation of Kavach is expected along select high-traffic and high-priority routes identified by Indian Railways. The rollout will follow a phased validation and certification process overseen by Indian Railways and the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Mukherjee added. Published on October 27, 2025
