Indian Railways Approves Rs 1,236 Crore Projects to Expand Kavach System and Fibre Network

Indian Railways has approved infrastructure projects worth around Rs 1,236 crore to upgrade its communication network and expand the Kavach automatic train protection system across multiple railway zones.

The approved projects include the deployment of the Kavach system over 548 route km on high-density sections of Southern Railway. The system will be implemented on the Jolarpettai–Erode section and the Chennai Beach–Tambaram–Chengalpattu section, along with associated optical fibre infrastructure, at a cost of Rs 158.74 crore. Additionally, Kavach will be installed on the Shoranur–Mangalore section at a cost of Rs 151.44 crore, enhancing safety and operational efficiency on these high-traffic routes.

To strengthen the communication backbone, Indian Railways has approved optical fibre and overhead infrastructure works on Central Railway at a cost of Rs 623.63 crore. This includes the installation of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) along traction lines and underground optical fibre cables across key divisions such as Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Solapur and Bhusawal, creating a dual-path, high-reliability communication network.

In Western Railway, fibre backbone projects worth Rs 302.25 crore have been approved to complete optical fibre connectivity across the Rajkot and Bhavnagar divisions, enabling seamless communication support for advanced train control systems.

These projects are aimed at enhancing railway safety through Kavach deployment while strengthening digital communication infrastructure to support efficient and future-ready train operations across the network.