Mega Rail Upgrade: Indian Railways Approves ₹398 Crore Optical Fibre Network for Western Railway
New Delhi, April 5, 2026 — In a major push toward modernization and advanced passenger safety, the Indian Railways has officially sanctioned a ₹398.36 crore project to heavily upgrade the communication infrastructure across its Western Railway zone.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Railways, the massive investment will fund a state-of-the-art 4×48 Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) backbone spanning the Ahmedabad and Ratlam divisions.
1,929 Kilometres of Digital Connectivity
The extensive project involves laying high-speed 2×48 fibre OFC cables across an impressive 1,929 Route Kilometres (RKm). The bulk of the development will focus on Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh regions, specifically allocating:
1,456 RKm of optical fibre in the Ahmedabad Division
473 RKm of optical fibre in the Ratlam Division
This major digital augmentation is designed to drastically improve the data transmission capacity, reliability, and overall efficiency of railway communication systems across the heavily trafficked Western Railway network.
Crucial Support for the ‘Kavach’ Safety System
The ₹398 crore project is not just about faster communication; it is a critical component of India’s indigenous anti-collision technology.
The OFC installation has been approved under the broader national initiative titled, “Provision of Kavach with communication backbone of Long Term Evolution (LTE) on balance routes of Indian Railways.” This nationwide umbrella project has an overall sanctioned budget of a staggering ₹27,693 crore for the 2024–25 Works Programme.
By upgrading the physical communication cables, the Railways will ensure seamless, real-time data transmission needed to support modern signaling systems and the successful, widespread implementation of Kavach.
The Ministry emphasized that this initiative marks a crucial step in the ongoing digital transformation of Indian Railways, ultimately ensuring enhanced operational efficiency, superior safety standards, and better service delivery for both passenger and freight operations.
