Indian Railways has approved projects worth ₹1,364.45 crore aimed at strengthening safety, signalling and communication infrastructure across its network.
The sanctioned works include deployment of Kavach on locomotives, expansion of optical fibre cable (OFC) networks, and migration from panel interlocking to advanced electronic interlocking systems across multiple zones.
Kavach rollout accelerates in Southern Railway
A key component of the approval includes the installation of onboard Kavach equipment on 232 locomotives in Southern Railway, with an outlay of ₹208.81 crore.
This initiative is part of the umbrella project, Provision of Kavach with communication backbone of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) on balance routes of Indian Railways (Umbrella Work 2024–25), which has a total sanctioned cost of ₹27,693 crore under PH-33.
Southern Railway has been allocated ₹2,950 crore under this programme. The current project, to be executed within this allocation, will deploy Kavach Version 4.0 systems, reinforcing the railway’s indigenous train collision avoidance capabilities.
Northern Railway to strengthen communication backbone
Indian Railways has also sanctioned three projects in Northern Railway, with a combined investment of ₹400.86 crore, to bolster communication infrastructure. These fall under the umbrella scheme for strengthening, repair and replacement of communication backbone, approved at ₹4,871 crore.
Out of the ₹871 crore earmarked for Northern Railway, the approved works include deployment of 2×48 fibre cables across 926.05 route km in Ambala Division (₹115.74 crore), installation of 2×48 fibre cables over 1,204 route km along with OFC rooms in Delhi Division (₹165.49 crore) and expansion of 2×48 fibre cables over 1,074 route km in Lucknow Division (₹119.63 crore)
These projects are expected to enhance bandwidth, reliability and redundancy of communication systems, critical for modern signalling and Kavach integration.
OFC network expansion in North Central Railway
To support Kavach deployment, Indian Railways has approved ₹176.77 crore for laying 2×48 fibre OFC cables across 2,196 route kilometres in North Central Railway.
This project falls under the broader communication backbone modernisation programme, with ₹200 crore allocated to the zone. The network expansion will cover 1,016 km in Prayagraj Division, 709 km in Jhansi Division and 471 km in Agra Division.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening communication infrastructure across high-density corridors, enabling seamless Kavach operations.
Electronic interlocking upgrade in South Central Railway
In a major signalling upgrade, Indian Railways has sanctioned ₹578.02 crore for replacing panel interlocking systems with electronic interlocking across South Central Railway.
The works are part of the umbrella project Provision of Electronic Interlocking at balance stations on HDN/HUN routes where Kavach/ABS/CTC is sanctioned (Umbrella Work 2024–25), approved at ₹15,164 crore.
From the ₹1,857 crore allocated to the zone, the approved projects include electronic interlocking at 35 stations in Guntakal Division (₹426.82 crore) and electronic interlocking at 14 stations in Nanded Division (₹151.20 crore).
The upgrade will significantly enhance signalling reliability, reduce manual intervention, and improve operational safety on high-density networks.
Modernisation Drive Gains Momentum
The latest approvals underscore Indian Railways’ ongoing push to modernise its infrastructure with a sharp focus on safety, reliability and capacity enhancement.
By integrating Kavach systems, strengthening digital communication backbones, and upgrading signalling technologies, the national transporter is moving towards safer, more efficient and technology-driven operations across its network.