Indian Railways Approves ₹398 Crore OFC Backbone Project for Western Region

New Delhi: In a significant push towards digital modernisation, Indian Railways has approved a ₹398.36 crore project to strengthen its communication infrastructure across the Western Railway network. The project will focus on deploying an advanced Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) backbone in the Ahmedabad and Ratlam divisions.

The initiative involves the installation of a 4×48 OFC backbone network spanning 1,929 route kilometres, including 1,456 km in the Ahmedabad Division and 473 km in the Ratlam Division. This large-scale deployment is expected to significantly enhance the capacity, reliability, and efficiency of railway communication systems.

The project is part of a broader national programme aimed at implementing the Kavach system—India’s indigenous train collision avoidance technology-along with a Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based communication backbone. The umbrella programme, under the Works Programme 2024–25, carries an overall sanctioned cost of ₹27,693 crore, with ₹2,800 crore allocated specifically for Western Railway.

Officials noted that the strengthened communication infrastructure will play a crucial role in enabling seamless data transmission, supporting modern signalling systems, and enhancing overall operational safety. The deployment of OFC is expected to improve real-time communication between trains and control systems, a key requirement for advanced safety mechanisms like Kavach.

This development marks another step in Indian Railways’ ongoing transformation journey, focusing on digitalisation, safety upgrades, and improved service delivery. By investing in robust communication networks, the railways aim to boost operational efficiency while ensuring safer and more reliable passenger and freight services across the country.