Indian Railways drawn up Rs 34,000 cr safety upgrade

09 Mar 2022 CW Team

The Indian Railways has drawn up a Rs 34,000 crore safety upgrade of its network that includes the deployment of an automated train safety system Kavach.

The aim is to ensure safe railway travel while reducing collisions and accidents.

The railway works programme of 2020-21 and 2021-22 includes the deployment system plans along a 34,000 km route.

A senior rail ministry official told the media that in two years, tenders for the Kavach deployment across the whole 68,446 route kilometer (RKM) would be issued, and within the coming five years, it will be finished.

Project Kavach's cost is Rs 50 lakh per km, a fourth compared with Rs two crore that similarly improved safety measures cost in other parts of the world.

The lower cost would also assist Indian vendors to compete in the worldwide market for the deployment of these technologies.

The official revealed that the overall outlay for the deployment is nearly Rs 34,000 crore. In October 2012, the conceptual field trial occurred, and the project has been under the work since then.

According to a rail ministry note, in February 2016, the first field trial on the passenger trains began and based on the experience, the initial Kavach version verifications were completed in May 2018.

In 2020-21, the safety project was approved for speeds up to 160 km per hour and automatic block signalling.

The Indian Railways is seeking the development of more suppliers for this technology.

Till now, in the South Central Railway, Kavach has been deployed in 1,098 RKM and 65 locomotives in ongoing projects.

It would be executed on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors (covering nearly 3,000 RKM) as part of the Mission Raftar project to increase train speed.

Image Source

Also read: Indian Railways sets new record for freight loading in Jan 2022

Infrastructure Transport

06 Feb 2026

Lucknow Metro East-West Corridor Consultancy Contract Awarded

The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has awarded the first construction-related consultancy contract for the Lucknow Metro East West Corridor to a joint venture of AYESA Ingenieria Arquitectura SAU and AYESA India Pvt Ltd. The firm was declared the lowest bidder for the Detailed Design Consultant contract for Lucknow Metro Line-2 under Phase 1B and the contract was recommended following the financial bid. The contract is valued at Rs 159.0 million (mn), covering design services for the corridor. Lucknow Metro Line-2 envisages the construction of an 11.165 kilometre corridor connecting Cha..

Div Com Kashmir Urges Fast Tracking Of Jhelum Water Transport Project

The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir has called for the fast-tracking of the Jhelum water transport project, urging district administrations and relevant agencies to accelerate planning and clearances. In a meeting convened at the divisional headquarters, the commissioner instructed officials from irrigation, public health engineering and municipal departments to prioritise the project and coordinate survey and design work. The directive emphasised removal of administrative bottlenecks and close monitoring to ensure timely mobilisation of resources and contractors. Officials were told to in..

Interarch Reports Strong Q3 And Nine Month Results

Interarch Building Solutions Limited reported unaudited results for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2025, recording strong revenue growth driven by execution and a robust order book. Net revenue for the third quarter rose by 43.7 per cent to Rs 5.225 billion (bn), compared with Rs 3.636 bn a year earlier, reflecting heightened demand in pre-engineered building projects. The company’s total order book as at 31 January 2026 stood at Rs 16.85 bn, supporting near-term visibility. EBITDA excluding other income for the quarter increased by 43.2 per cent to Rs 503 million (mn),..