Indian Railways has cleared two projects worth a combined Rs 381 crore aimed at strengthening train safety and expanding locomotive maintenance capacity as the national transporter prepares for higher passenger and freight traffic in the coming years.
The approved projects focus on two key priorities—wider deployment of the indigenous Kavach train protection system on busy routes in Northern Railway and expansion of electric locomotive maintenance infrastructure at Raipur under South East Central Railway. Together, they reflect the Railways’ strategy of pairing safety technology with supporting infrastructure to improve operational efficiency.
Of the total investment, Rs 206 crore has been allocated for deploying Kavach Version 4.0 across 680 route kilometres covering the Rewari-Delhi and Shakurbasti-Bathinda sections, along with feeder branch lines, under the Delhi Division of Northern Railway.
Kavach rollout expands on high-density rail corridors
The Ministry of Railways said the latest approval forms part of Indian Railways’ larger plan to roll out Kavach on high-density and strategically important routes across the country.
“Kavach is India’s indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to significantly enhance railway safety by preventing Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) incidents and train collisions,” the ministry said, according to PIB release.
According to the ministry, deploying Kavach Version 4.0 on these routes is expected to improve operational reliability while supporting smoother movement of passenger and freight trains.
According to the ministry, deploying Kavach Version 4.0 on these routes is expected to improve railway safety, enhance operational efficiency, make train operations more reliable and enable faster movement of passenger and freight trains.
The project comes as Indian Railways continues to accelerate the expansion of the Automatic Train Protection system on major corridors to reduce the risk of human error and improve network capacity through technology-led operations.
Raipur to get expanded electric locomotive maintenance capacity
Alongside the safety project, Indian Railways has sanctioned Rs 175 crore to create additional homing facilities for 250 three-phase electric locomotives at the High Horse Power (HHP) Diesel Shed in Raipur.
The ministry said the investment is aimed at strengthening maintenance infrastructure as the number of electric locomotives continues to grow with increasing electrification and higher freight and passenger demand.
According to the ministry, the new facilities will allow more efficient utilisation of existing infrastructure while creating capacity for future technological upgrades at the depot.
The ministry said both projects are part of Indian Railways’ long-term infrastructure modernisation programme, which seeks to improve operational capability, support traffic growth and build a safer, more technology-driven railway network.