Indian Railways has approved the installation of the ‘Kavach’ system on a 631-route-kilometer (RKm) stretch of the East Coast Railway at a cost of ₹270 crore. This project covers six key sections of the East Coast Railway: Baghuapal-Budhapank, Haridaspur-Paradip, Khurda Road (KUR)-Balangir, Naupada-Gunupur, Lanjigarh Road-Junagarh, and Bobbili-Salur.
The approved project is part of a major Indian Railways initiative to deploy the ‘Kavach’ system—supported by an LTE-based communication backbone—across the entire railway network. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to enhance safety by preventing incidents such as Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD), excessive speed, and train collisions. The system continuously monitors train movement and automatically applies brakes when necessary, thereby significantly improving operational safety.
The installation of Kavach on these routes will significantly enhance train operational safety by providing automatic train protection and collision avoidance features. The system also supports safer and more dependable train operations during adverse weather conditions, such as dense fog, helping improve service reliability and punctuality.
This project is expected to benefit both passenger and freight train operations on key routes across Odisha and adjacent areas served by the East Coast Railway. It will further strengthen Indian Railways’ ongoing mission to expand the coverage of the ‘Kavach’ system on high-traffic and strategically important routes.
