Govt Approves Rs 765 Crore Projects to Upgrade Rail Traction and Communication Systems

New Delhi — The government has approved a series of infrastructure and technology upgrades worth ?765 crore aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of Indian Railways and modernising its communication network.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the projects focus on improving electric traction systems on key railway corridors and expanding the optical fibre communication backbone in the Western Railway zone.

A major component of the plan involves upgrading the electric traction system on the 106-km Duvvada–Visakhapatnam–Vizianagaram section of the East Coast Railway at a cost of ?318.07 crore. The section will be converted from the existing 1×25 kV traction system to the more advanced 2×25 kV system, which is expected to enhance freight capacity, improve train speeds and increase reliability on the busy route.

The ministry said the upgrade forms part of a broader national initiative announced in the 2024–25 Railway Budget to modernise electric traction systems across the railway network.

Another project worth ?259.39 crore has been approved for upgrading the 126-km Raichur–Guntakal section under the Guntakal division of South Central Railway. This route, which runs across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, will also be converted from the 1×25 kV system to the 2×25 kV system.

The Raichur–Guntakal stretch is located on the important Mumbai–Chennai corridor, and the upgrade is expected to improve freight movement while also enabling faster passenger services, including the operation of modern trains such as the Vande Bharat Express.

In addition to traction upgrades, the government has sanctioned ?187.88 crore to strengthen the communication infrastructure in the Vadodara and Mumbai Central divisions of Western Railway.

The project will involve installing a 4×48 core optical fibre cable backbone, with fibre cables to be laid across 1,000 route kilometres — including 692 km in the Vadodara division and 308 km in the Mumbai division.

Officials said the upgraded communication network will support the deployment of LTE-based Kavach, India’s indigenous train collision avoidance system, helping enhance safety and operational efficiency across the railway network.

With inputs from IANS