Railway safety and capacity in Gujarat received a significant boost on Sunday, 27 September 2026, with the commissioning of the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection system across 404 km of the Ahmedabad Division, the launch of automatic signalling on two key corridors, and the formal start of the ₹313.27 crore doubling project on the Sabarmati-Sarkhej railway section. The initiatives are part of a railway package worth more than ₹1,542 crore unveiled in Sabarmati and Ahmedabad.

Kavach Rollout Across Key Sections

The Kavach system was commissioned on two critical routes: the Ahmedabad-Palanpur section, spanning 157 km, and the Ahmedabad-Samakhiyali section, covering 247 km. The total estimated cost for equipping the Ahmedabad Division network with the indigenous Standard Kavach system stands at approximately ₹411 crore.

Kavach is designed to prevent train collisions by automatically applying brakes when a loco pilot fails to observe a signal or exceeds prescribed speed limits. The system is intended to substantially reduce human-error-related incidents — a recurring concern in India's rail safety record. Notably, Kavach has been at the centre of national debate since the Balasore train tragedy of 2023, which accelerated the Centre's push to fast-track its deployment across the national network.

Automatic Signalling on Two Corridors

Automatic Block Signalling (ABS) was simultaneously launched on the Sabarmati-Sanand-Jakhwada and Sabarmati-Kalol-Bhandu Motidau sections. The system covers 122.57 km at an estimated cost of ₹118.83 crore. ABS works by dividing railway routes into signalling blocks, enabling trains to run at safe, optimised intervals without manual intervention at each signal point.

This is expected to meaningfully increase line capacity, allowing more trains to operate on already-congested corridors — a key operational bottleneck on the Western Railway network that runs through Gujarat's industrial belt.

Sabarmati-Sarkhej Doubling Project

Work on doubling the 21-km Sabarmati-Sarkhej section was formally launched, with a targeted completion date of March 2028. The project, budgeted at ₹313.27 crore, covers four stations — Sabarmati, Gandhigram, Vastrapur, and Sarkhej — and involves construction of 16 minor bridges, 13 road underbridges, one major bridge, and work at six level crossings.

The additional line is intended to ease operational bottlenecks for both passenger and freight traffic, and is expected to strengthen rail connectivity towards the Sarkhej–Dholera corridor — a strategically important zone given the ongoing development of the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR).

The Broader Package and Political Context

The projects were launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi. The broader package unveiled during Shah's Gujarat visit also includes the inauguration of a ₹700 crore WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed and the launch of the country's first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati railway station.

This is the latest in a series of Central Government investments in Gujarat's rail infrastructure, reflecting both the strategic importance of the state's industrial corridors and the political salience of visible infrastructure delivery ahead of future electoral cycles. With Kavach deployment, automatic signalling, and the Dholera-linked doubling work now under way, Gujarat's rail network is set to undergo one of its most substantive upgrades in recent years.