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Indian Railways has sanctioned infrastructure and technology upgrade projects worth over INR 765 crore to modernise electric traction systems and strengthen communication networks across key railway corridors. The approved works include traction system upgrades on the Duvvada-Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram section under East Coast Railway and the Raichur Guntakal section in the South Central Railway zone, both of which will shift from the existing 125 kV electrification system to a more advanced 225 kV configuration. In addition, the railways have cleared a project to expand the optical fibre communication network across the Vadodara and Mumbai Central divisions of Western Railway. The upgrades are intended to support higher freight loading, improve operational reliability, and strengthen the digital backbone required for modern railway signalling and safety systems such as Kavach.
Indian Railways has approved infrastructure and technology upgradation projects worth more than INR 765 crore to modernise electric traction systems and expand the digital communication backbone across several key sections of the railway network, as part of efforts to improve operational efficiency and increase freight handling capacity. Advertisement
The sanctioned projects include upgrades to electric traction systems on two high-density rail corridors and the expansion of the optical fibre communication network in divisions of Western Railway. The initiatives form part of a broader programme announced in the Union Railway Budget for 2024-25 aimed at modernising traction infrastructure and strengthening digital connectivity across the railway network.
One of the approved works involves an investment of INR 318.07 crore to upgrade the electric traction system on the 106 km Duvvada-Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram section under East Coast Railway. The project will convert the existing 125 kV traction system into a 225 kV configuration, enabling higher freight loading capacity, improved train speeds, and greater operational reliability along the corridor.
The section forms part of the busy Howrah-Chennai railway route and handles substantial freight movement, particularly minerals and industrial goods transported from Odisha and Chhattisgarh to Visakhapatnam Port. Upgrading the traction power system is expected to strengthen power supply capacity and enable smoother movement of both passenger and freight trains on the corridor.
In a separate project, Indian Railways has sanctioned INR 259.39 crore to upgrade the electric traction system on the 126 km Raichur-Guntakal section under the Guntakal Division of South Central Railway. This route, located on the Mumbai-Chennai rail corridor, will also transition from a 125 kV system to a 225 kV configuration to improve power supply reliability and support higher train loads.
Railway officials indicated that the upgrade will improve the corridor's capacity to handle freight traffic and facilitate faster passenger services, including operations of modern train services. Enhancing traction infrastructure is considered essential for maintaining operational efficiency on heavily utilised routes that carry both freight and passenger traffic.
Alongside traction upgrades, Indian Railways has approved a project worth INR 187.88 crore to strengthen its digital communication backbone in the Vadodara and Mumbai Central divisions of Western Railway. The work involves laying a 448 core optical fibre cable network across about 1,000 route kilometres, including approximately 692 km in the Vadodara division and 308 km in the Mumbai division.
The expanded fibre network is expected to improve bandwidth, provide greater network redundancy, and support critical railway systems such as LTE-based communication infrastructure and the indigenous Kavach train collision avoidance system. Strengthening digital communication infrastructure is considered necessary for improving real-time monitoring, signalling reliability, and safety across railway operations.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the combined upgrades are intended to improve the performance of both freight and passenger services by strengthening power supply systems and modernising digital infrastructure across important railway corridors. The projects are part of ongoing efforts to upgrade core railway systems while accommodating increasing traffic demand across the national rail network.
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