ER gets approval for kavach installation at key stations
The Statesman | 16 January 2026
In a significant development towards rail safety, the Eastern Railway received the approval of the work for provision of the indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, Kavach from the Railway Board today.
The nod comes on a project to cover the remaining section of 443 route kilometres on its network, at an estimated cost of Rs 223.83 crore. The proposal has been submitted to the Railway Board and has received approval from the minister for railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw.
According to sources, the approved work will cover important sections of Eastern Railway including Howrah-Santragachi, Liluah-Belur Math, Tarakeswar–Goghat, Maynapur–Bishnupur, Rampurhat–Dumka, Azimganj–Murshidabad, Lakshmikantapur–Namkhana, Kankurgachhi–Ballygunge, Kalyani–Kalyani Simanta, Krishnanagar Junction–Amghata, Krishnanagar City–Lalgola, Murshidabad–Azimganj, Asansol–Burnpur, Barachak–Hirapur and Bakhtar Nagar–Andal sections.
The work forms part of the larger umbrella project titled “Provision of Kavach with communication backbone of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) on balance routes of Indian Railways (Umbrella Work 2024-25)”, which has been approved under the Works, Machinery and Rolling Stock Programme (Pink Book) 2024–25 at a total cost of Rs 27,693 crore. Under this umbrella, a sub-umbrella allocation of Rs. 896 crore has been sanctioned for Eastern Railway.
As learnt from the ER office, with the completion of this work, the entire railway network of Eastern Railway within the state of West Bengal will be brought under the Kavach system. The implementation of this advanced indigenous safety technology is anticipated to significantly enhance passenger safety by preventing train collisions and over-speeding, and will further strengthen safe and reliable train operations across the region.