NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Indian Railways has approved 3 major infrastructure projects worth approximately ₹1,236 crore to modernise its communication backbone and extend the Kavach automatic train protection system across key zones. The approvals span Central Railway, Southern Railway, and Western Railway, and address two critical pillars of railway modernisation: fibre optic communication networks and collision-avoidance safety technology.
Central Railway to Get Dual Fibre Backbone: ₹623.63 Crore
Two complementary works have been sanctioned to build a robust, dual-path communication backbone across all five divisions of Central Railway, including Solapur, Nagpur, Pune, Bhusawal, and Mumbai.
The first component involves installing OPGW (Optical Ground Wire, 96-fibre) along the existing 25 KV electric traction lines over 2,250.68 route km, covering four divisions. This specialised composite overhead wire serves a dual purpose; it acts as an earth protection wire for the traction system while simultaneously carrying optical fibre for communication. Since it uses existing traction towers, no new civil infrastructure is required. This work is approved at ₹238.94 crore.
The second component involves laying underground optical fibre cables (2×48 fibre) on one side of the track over 2,673.21 route km across all five divisions, at a cost of ₹384.69 crore. Together, the OPGW above ground and the underground cable create two fully independent fibre paths on every route. The surplus dark fibre capacity will also be leased out commercially, generating additional revenue for Indian Railways.
Kavach 4.0 to be Extended to 548 km on Southern Railway: ₹310.18 Crore
Kavach, Indian Railways’ indigenously developed automatic train protection system, will be deployed on high-traffic routes across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka under this approval. The system automatically applies brakes to prevent collisions when two trains are on a conflicting course or when a signal is passed at danger.
The first section covers Jolarpettai-Erode (180 km, Salem Division) and Chennai Beach–Tambaram-Chengalpattu (60 km, Chennai Division), along with new optical fibre cabling, at a cost of ₹158.74 crore. The second section covers Shoranur-Mangalore (308 km, Palakkad Division) along with 4×48 fibre OFC cabling, at ₹151.44 crore.
Fibre Network in Gujarat: ₹302.26 Crore
Optical fibre cables (2×48 fibre on each side of the track) will be laid on the remaining stretches of two Western Railway divisions in Gujarat: 1,064 km in the Rajkot Division and 589 km in the Bhavnagar Division, totalling 1,653 km at a cost of ₹302.26 crore.
Project-wise Breakdown
| Project | Route (km) | Cost | Scope |
| Central Railway – OPGW | 2,250.68 Rkm | ₹238.94 Cr | 96-fibre OPGW on traction lines (4 divisions) |
| Central Railway – UG OFC | 2,673.21 Rkm | ₹384.69 Cr | 2×48 underground fibre (all 5 divisions) |
| Southern Rly – Kavach 4.0 (Jolarpettai-Erode & Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu) | 240 km | ₹158.74 Cr | Kavach + OFC, Salem & Chennai Divisions |
| Southern Rly – Kavach 4.0 (Shoranur-Mangalore) | 308 km | ₹151.44 Cr | Kavach + 4×48 OFC, Palakkad Division |
| Western Railway-OFC (Rajkot + Bhavnagar) | 1,653 km | ₹302.26 Cr | 2×48 OFC on both sides of track |
Overall Impact
These approvals are part of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to modernise infrastructure through the integration of advanced communication systems and safety technologies.
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