RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Navratna central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, has secured an order to implement the KAVACH system across 1067 route kilometres (RKM) of the Jabalpur division of West Central Railway. The project is valued at Rs 4549.5 mn and covers survey, design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of trackside Kavach systems across key routes of the division. The contract has been awarded on an engineering, procurement and construction mode and is intended to strengthen signalling and train protection capabilities.

The implementation will span high density corridors including the Itarsi?Manikpur section, the Mahdeiya?Bina Malkheri?Mahadeokheri stretch, the entire Katni complex, the Bina Malkheri?Agasod section, the Satna?Rewa section, the Kaima?Sagma section and the Bansapahar?Ohan section. The scope comprises installation of Kavach equipment at stations, level crossing gates and intelligent braking system locations, along with optical fibre cable works, erection of towers and associated civil, track and electrical works. Project execution is scheduled to be completed within 960 days under the terms of the EPC agreement.

Kavach is Indian Railways' indigenous Automatic Train Protection system developed under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and designed to prevent train collisions, over?speeding and signal passing at danger, thereby enhancing passenger safety and operational reliability. The system represents a core safety modernisation initiative and is intended to reduce accidents and operational risks across the network. RailTel is already engaged on two Kavach projects that cover 1109 route kilometres of the East Central Railway.

Sanjai Kumar, chairman and managing director of RailTel, indicated that the award from West Central Railway is a proud moment for the company and a strong recognition of its capabilities in delivering critical railway safety infrastructure. He noted that Kavach is a transformational initiative for Indian Railways and that RailTel remains committed to supporting the national mission of safer, smarter and technology driven rail operations through indigenous solutions. The project is expected to reinforce the focus on modernisation and passenger safety across the division.