Indian Railways has achieved a significant milestone with the completion of track electrification on one of the country's most challenging rail stretches. The Sakleshpur-Subramanya Road ghat section in the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway has been successfully electrified, marking the completion of this complex infrastructure project.

Project Overview and Investment

The electrification project represents a substantial investment in railway infrastructure modernization. Key project parameters demonstrate the scale and complexity of this undertaking:

Engineering Challenges and Terrain Complexity

The Sakleshpur-Subramanya Road section stands among the most challenging stretches on the Indian Railways network due to its demanding geographical and operational conditions. The route traverses the Western Ghats with formidable engineering obstacles that required specialized solutions.

The terrain features present significant operational challenges:

• Steep gradients: 1-in-50 inclines requiring additional locomotive power
• Tunnel network: 57 tunnels requiring specialized electrification
• Bridge crossings: 258 bridges across varied topography
• Sharp curves: 108 curves demanding precise engineering
• Landslide vulnerability: High susceptibility to monsoon-related disruptions

Technical Infrastructure and Installation

The electrification work encompassed comprehensive infrastructure development designed to meet safety and operational requirements in difficult terrain. Engineers constructed five switching stations and installed overhead equipment throughout the entire ghat section.

Specialized technical specifications were implemented to address the challenging conditions:

Tunnel Electrification and Safety Measures

The project required extensive work within the 57 tunnels along the route, presenting unique engineering challenges. Engineers installed 419 main brackets and an equal number of spare brackets inside the tunnel sections, ensuring redundancy and safety.

Comprehensive geological studies were conducted for both lined and unlined tunnel sections, with support from the National Institute of Rock Mechanics and Bangalore University. Pull-out tests were performed at every bracket location to assess anchoring and grouting strength, ensuring structural integrity under operational loads.

Implementation Challenges and Solutions

Project execution faced significant environmental and logistical obstacles throughout the construction period. Heavy monsoon rains, landslides, soil erosion, and rockfalls caused repeated disruptions to the electrification work, according to Mysuru Divisional Commercial Manager Girish Dharmaraj Kalagonda.

Transporting materials to remote and inaccessible locations presented additional challenges, with most supplies moved by rail to reach construction sites. The completion of this project despite these obstacles demonstrates the engineering capabilities and determination of the railway infrastructure teams.

Strategic Importance and Connectivity

The Sakleshpur-Subramanya Road ghat section serves as a crucial link connecting the Bengaluru-Hassan region with Mangaluru. The route passes through scenic landscapes, forests, and multiple engineering structures, making it one of Karnataka's most recognizable rail stretches.

The electrification completion enables electric locomotives to operate on the ghat section, eliminating the previous requirement for additional banking locomotives on steep gradients. This advancement moves Indian Railways closer to its target of complete network electrification while improving operational efficiency on this strategically important corridor.

Indian Railways has missed its December 2025 deadline for installing the Kavach automatic train protection system on the critical New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah routes, marking the second postponement of this ambitious safety initiative. Railway officials now target 2026 for full operationalization, citing significant progress with approximately 25% of the work commissioned and 738 route km operational.

Kavach System Overview and Progress

Kavach represents an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed as a highly technology-intensive safety solution. The system assists locomotive pilots in maintaining specified speed limits through automatic brake application when manual intervention fails. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provided detailed progress updates to the Lok Sabha on December 17, highlighting substantial achievements in system deployment.

The current operational status shows impressive infrastructure development:

Timeline Revisions and Current Status

The project has experienced multiple deadline adjustments, reflecting the complexity of implementing advanced safety technology across India's vast railway network. The Railway Ministry initially announced completion by March 2025 on August 7, 2024, subsequently extending the deadline to December 2025 through a budget document released February 1, 2025.

Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on two critical sections:

Technology Development and Deployment Scale

The Kavach system has undergone extensive development since its initial field trials on passenger trains began in February 2016. Indian Railways adopted it as the National ATP system in July 2020, following successful trials of version 3.2 on 1,465 routes across South Central Railway. The experience gained from these trials enabled the launch of the enhanced 4.0 version on July 16, 2024.

The current deployment scope encompasses 15,512 route km covering all Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), Golden Diagonal (GD), and High Density Network (HDN) sections. Additionally, bids have been invited for equipping another 9,069 locomotives with Kavach version 4.0, demonstrating the phased implementation approach adopted by Indian Railways.

Industry Capacity and Future Outlook

Railway officials acknowledge significant challenges in scaling up installation capacity to meet the ambitious timeline. Initially, only three companies held approval for Kavach installation on the Indian Railways network. The approved vendor base has now expanded to over five companies, with expectations of exceeding 20 approved vendors by 2026.

Officials emphasize the need for substantial capacity expansion, stating that Indian Railways requires more than 50 original equipment manufacturers to expedite the installation process across the 78,000 km broad-gauge network, which continues expanding with new areas being added to the rail network. This infrastructure development represents a critical safety enhancement for India's railway system, addressing the growing need for technical aids to minimize human error risks as train operations increase significantly.