RailTel wins tunnel comms LOA

RailTel has won a ₹309.28 crore contract from Rail Vikas Nigam to install communications and surveillance systems inside railway tunnels. (bseindia.com) The order covers tunnels T-1 to T-7 and associated stations across a 42.7-kilometre section, according to RailTel’s April 14 exchange filing. RailTel said it received the letter of acceptance at 8:56 p.m. on April 13. (bseindia.com) The work includes supply, installation, testing and commissioning of very high frequency simplex radio, closed-circuit television, public address systems and emergency call points. RailTel said the project is due for execution by April 12, 2028. (bseindia.com; economictimes.indiatimes.com) Tunnel communications are the systems that let train crews, control rooms and emergency teams keep talking when rock and concrete block ordinary signals. The package pairs radio links with cameras, station integration and call points so operators can hear, see and respond inside long enclosed stretches. (economictimes.indiatimes.com; financialexpress.com) The award adds to a broader run of railway safety and communications spending in India. Financial Express reported this week that RailTel received three orders on April 13 worth about ₹608 crore in total, including two tunnel-communications packages from Rail Vikas Nigam and a separate security-services contract from the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board. (financialexpress.com; economictimes.indiatimes.com) Rail Vikas Nigam is one of the state-run companies used to deliver railway construction packages, while RailTel supplies telecom and network infrastructure across the rail system. RailTel says its optical-fibre network spans more than 63,000 route kilometres and reaches more than 7,000 railway stations. (railtel.in; indiainfoline.com) Investors treated the order flow as material. Economic Times reported RailTel shares rose 11.13% to ₹316.24 in April 15 trading after the company disclosed the new wins, while Financial Express said railway companies had been in focus amid a fresh round of contract announcements. (economictimes.indiatimes.com; financialexpress.com) RailTel told exchanges the contract is domestic in nature and not a related-party transaction. The next marker is execution: cameras, radios and emergency systems now have to be installed across that 42.7-kilometre tunnel section before April 2028. (bseindia.com; economictimes.indiatimes.com)