Indian Railways on Tuesday approved four projects worth Rs 800 crore, including deployment of Kavach 4.0 across 712 route km, modernisation of signalling at 21 stations, construction of a freight bypass in South Eastern Railway and re-modelling of a yard (in Gujarat) to decongest a terminal.
The largest allocation has gone into 11-km bypass between Adra end and Joychandipahar in South Eastern Railway. The Rs 272-crore project will provide a separate route and a two-way connection to the upcoming third line, facilitating the movement of over 6 freight rakes a day. The bypass is expected to support additional goods traffic of 8.88 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) after completion.
The project will particularly support freight movement linked to SAIL’s 23.40 MTPA iron ore demand and Bharat Coking Coal’s (BCCL’s) projection of 45 rakes a day. Railways said the existing network is operating at 71% utilisation and this project will eliminate operational bottlenecks.
“The project will strengthen freight infrastructure in the Adra-Joychandipahar corridor by creating additional capacity, reducing surface-crossing conflicts and improving the efficiency of freight operations,” the official statement said.
Another Rs 233 crore has been approved for electronic interlocking at 21 stations in Samastipur Division of East Central Railway. The work will replace existing panel interlocking systems with electronic interlocking, thereby improving signalling and supporting the rollout of Kavach.
“Electronic Interlocking is a modern signalling technology that replaces ageing relay-based systems with computer-based interlocking, ensuring higher reliability, faster fault diagnosis, easier maintenance and enhanced operational flexibility,” the rail ministry said.
Separately, the government has sanctioned Rs 170 crore for Kavach 4.0 on the remaining 712 route km of Moradabad Division of Northern Railway. Kavach 4.0 automatically applies brakes if a train passes a red signal or exceeds the permissible speed limits, which prevent train collisions. Approved by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in July 2024, the system was first commissioned on 738 route km in December 2025.
In Gujarat, Rs 125 crore has been sanctioned for re-modelling the Bhavnagar Para yard. This project will shift train stabling and other operations from Bhavnagar Terminus to Bhavnagar Para, which will help reduce delays and improve punctuality.