New Delhi, April 6 – Indian Railways has approved multiple projects worth ₹1,364.45 crore to strengthen safety, signaling, and communication infrastructure across its network, an official statement said on Monday.
The sanctioned works include the provision of Kavach on locomotives, the expansion of the optical fiber cable network, and the replacement of panel interlocking with electronic interlocking systems across various railway zones, according to the Railways Ministry.
The indigenously-developed Kavach system protects trains against signal passing at danger (SPAD), excessive speed, and collisions. By providing this additional safety layer, it plays a vital role in operations across high-speed and high-density rail networks.
The projects that have been sanctioned in the latest round include the provision of on-board Kavach equipment for 232 locomotives in Southern Railway at a cost of ₹208.81 crore. This proposal is part of a larger project to provide Kavach with a communication backbone of long-term evolution (LTE) on the remaining routes of Indian Railways, with an overall cost of ₹27,693 crore.
A sub-umbrella allocation of ₹2,950 crore has been earmarked for Southern Railway under this program. This current work proposes the installation of Kavach Version 4.0 equipment on locomotives.
Indian Railways has also sanctioned three itemized works in Northern Railway at a total cost of ₹400.86 crore to strengthen the communication backbone infrastructure. These works are part of a separate umbrella project approved at a cost of ₹4,871 crore.
A sub-umbrella allocation of ₹871 crore has been allocated for Northern Railway for laying fiber cables along 926.05 route km in the Ambala Division, along 1,204 route km, as well as for the installation of Optical Fiber Communication (OFC) rooms at stations in the Delhi Division, and along 1,074 route km in the Lucknow Division.
These works aim to enhance the capacity and reliability of communication systems across divisions, which are critical for modern signaling and Kavach deployment, the statement explained.
Similarly, Indian Railways has sanctioned the provision of optic fiber cables for Kavach over North Central Railway at a cost of ₹176.7699 crore to support Kavach deployment and improve communication infrastructure across high-density routes.
Indian Railways has also sanctioned two itemized works in South Central Railway at a total cost of ₹578.02 crore for the replacement of panel interlocking with electronic interlocking systems. A sub-umbrella allocation of ₹1,857 crore has been earmarked for South Central Railway. Under this, two works have been approved to enhance signaling reliability, reduce manual intervention, and improve safety across high-density routes.
All the sanctioned projects are part of the broader effort to modernize Indian Railways with a focus on safety, reliability, and capacity enhancement. These works will support the deployment of Kavach, strengthen the communication backbone, and upgrade signaling systems across key routes.
These interventions are expected to improve operational efficiency and ensure safer train operations across the network, the statement added.
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