The government has approved the installation of its indigenous train protection system Kavach on 631 route kilometres of the East Coast Railway network at an estimated cost of ₹270 crore, according to the Ministry of Railways. The project will cover six important railway sections under East Coast Railway -- Baghuapal–Budhapank, Haridaspur–Paradeep, Khurda Road-Balangir, Naupada-Gunupur, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh and Bobbili-Salur. The sanctioned work forms part of Indian Railways' larger programme to deploy Kavach with an LTE-based communication backbone across the national rail network.
Kavach is India's indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to enhance operational safety by preventing signal passing at danger (SPAD), overspeeding and train collisions. The system continuously monitors train movements and automatically applies brakes whenever required, significantly improving safety in train operations. According to the ministry, installation of Kavach on these routes will provide automatic train protection and collision-avoidance capabilities, helping achieve a higher level of operational safety.
In addition to preventing accidents, the system is expected to improve the reliability of train services by enabling safer train movement during adverse weather conditions, including dense fog. Railway officials said the project will benefit both passenger and freight train operations across key sections of Odisha and neighbouring regions served by East Coast Railway. The initiative is expected to enhance punctuality and operational efficiency while strengthening safety infrastructure on strategically important routes.
The latest approval comes amid Indian Railways' broader push to modernise signalling and safety systems across the network. Earlier this month, the government announced that the Eastern Railway had received clearance to install Electronic Interlocking (EI) systems at 32 stations on High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilised Network (HUN) routes. The government had approved ₹405 crore for the signal upgradation project, which aims to improve reliability, safety and operational performance across critical railway corridors.
