Kavach will be extended across key sections of East Coast Railway as Indian Railways moves ahead with another major safety upgrade under its indigenous train protection programme.
The Ministry of Railways said on Monday, 22 June, that Indian Railways has approved the provision of Kavach on 631 Route Kilometres of East Coast Railway at a cost of ₹270 crore.
The sanctioned work will cover six important railway sections: Baghuapal-Budhapank, Haridaspur-Paradeep, Khurda Road (KUR)-Balangir, Naupada-Gunupur, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh and Bobbili-Salur.
The approval is part of Indian Railways’ larger programme to expand Kavach deployment across the national railway network with an LTE-based communication backbone.
Kavach is India’s indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system. It is designed to improve train safety by reducing the risk of signal passing at danger, over-speeding and train collisions.
The system continuously monitors train movement and can automatically apply brakes whenever required. This makes it an important safety layer, especially on busy railway sections where passenger and freight train movement has to be managed with high reliability.
According to the ministry, the installation of Kavach on these routes will help provide automatic train protection and collision avoidance capabilities.
The system is also expected to support safer and more reliable train movement during adverse weather conditions, including dense fog. This can help improve service reliability and punctuality on affected routes.
The East Coast Railway network plays an important role in both passenger mobility and freight movement. Several sections in the zone serve Odisha and neighbouring regions, while also supporting industrial, mineral and port-linked traffic.
The approval of Kavach for these sections is therefore significant from both safety and operational perspectives. For passengers, the system adds another layer of protection during train operations. For freight movement, improved reliability can support smoother movement across important corridors.
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The Baghuapal-Budhapank and Haridaspur-Paradeep sections are important for connectivity in Odisha. The Khurda Road-Balangir section is also a key rail corridor, while the Naupada-Gunupur, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh and Bobbili-Salur sections serve regional mobility and freight requirements across different parts of the East Coast Railway zone.
By extending Kavach to these routes, Indian Railways is aiming to strengthen safety infrastructure beyond only the busiest trunk routes. The project also reflects the wider push to deploy indigenous technology across critical railway operations.
Kavach has been developed as part of India’s effort to build domestic capability in modern railway safety systems. Its rollout is being taken up in phases across the railway network, with priority given to high-density and strategically important routes.
The ministry said the sanctioned work will further strengthen Indian Railways’ mission to expand Kavach coverage across important corridors.
Once deployed, the system will assist loco pilots by providing automatic safety intervention in defined operating conditions. While human supervision remains central to railway operations, Kavach adds a technology-backed safeguard that can respond when immediate braking action is required.
The project is also expected to improve operational confidence on sections affected by visibility challenges. Dense fog and adverse weather can disrupt train movement, particularly during winter months in several parts of the country. Kavach-enabled operations can help reduce some of these risks by supporting safer train movement.
The ₹270 crore approval for East Coast Railway adds to the broader modernisation of Indian Railways’ safety systems. The use of an LTE-based communication backbone also indicates the technical direction in which the national Kavach rollout is moving.
For East Coast Railway, the project will strengthen safety preparedness across 631 Route Kilometres and support both passenger and freight operations.
The ministry said the deployment of Kavach on these sections will enhance safety, improve reliability and contribute to more efficient railway operations across Odisha and neighbouring regions.
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