Bhubaneswar: East Coast Railway (ECoR) leads Indian Railways’ drone-based surveillance, which strengthens railway security, passenger safety, crowd management and protection of railway assets.
Eleven drones are currently deployed across three divisions of ECoR, with the fleet set to double by March 2027.
Four of the drones are deployed in Khurda Road, 6 in Sambalpur and 1 in Rayagada division. These are operated with the support of 160 DGCA-certified drone pilots.
The network covers 284 stations, 2,708 route kilometres and 6,072 track kilometres across 31 RPF posts.
Named ‘DROAWK EYE – Observation, Detection, Prevention’, the system supports the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in monitoring vulnerable locations, detecting suspicious activities and preventing offences.
From January 1 to September 15 this year, ECoR RPF conducted 3,033 drone sorties, including 680 in Khurda Road, 1024 in Rayagada and 1329 in Sambalpur division. Of these, 1265 RED-coded sorties focused on critical security activities, including prevention of sabotage and stone pelting, detection of cable theft and fire safety monitoring.
The drones, equipped with night vision and thermal cameras, are particularly useful in forests, hilly terrain, tunnels, bridges and isolated stretches, including sections of the Koraput-Rayagada-Kirandul line. They also help monitor railway stations, coaching yards and vital installations, detect trespassing, theft and encroachment, and support investigations and disaster response.
