EAST COAST RAILWAY’S SOLAR POWERED CCTV NETWORK DELIVERS SIGNIFICANT CRIME REDUCTION

Bhubaneswar, September 25, 2026
East Coast Railway’s initiative to strengthen railway safety and security through solar-powered CCTV surveillance has yielded significant results, with a substantial reduction in incidents reported at locations covered by the surveillance system.

A comparative analysis of crime incidents during January to August 2025, before installation of cameras, and January to August 2026, after installation of solar-powered CCTV cameras, shows a marked decline across various categories of railway-related incidents.

Category wise Impact:
• Sabotage/Foreign Material Placement: Cases fell from 1 to 0, a 100% reduction
• Cable Cutting: Cases dropped from 10 to 1, a 90% reduction
• Stone Pelting: Cases declined from 20 to 3, an 85% reduction
• Theft of Passenger Belongings: Cases fell from 2 to 0, a 100% reduction
• Alarm Chain Pulling: Cases dropped sharply from 158 to 29, an 82% reduction
• Other Crime – RP Cases: Cases declined from 9 to 1, a 90% reduction

Overall, the number of reported cases across these categories declined from 200 cases during January–August 2025 to 34 cases during January–August 2026, representing an overall reduction of approximately 83% at the locations covered by the solar-powered CCTV surveillance system.

The solar powered CCTV cameras have been strategically installed at vulnerable and sensitive locations, including station areas, level crossings, bridges, isolated stretches of railway track, yards and other critical locations. The systems enable continuous surveillance even at locations where conventional electricity supply may be limited or unavailable.

The real time monitoring and availability of recorded footage have strengthened the ability of railway officials and security personnel to detect suspicious activities, respond promptly to incidents and support investigations. All the cases reported during the period after installation of cameras were detected, highlighting the effectiveness of surveillance based monitoring. Drone surveillance is also being used as a backup to further strengthen monitoring at vulnerable locations.

The significant reduction in incidents demonstrates the preventive and deterrent impact of technology enabled surveillance in enhancing railway safety and security. The initiative also supports ECoR’s continued efforts to adopt solar energy and sustainable technology for strengthening railway infrastructure and security.

Notably, this solar powered CCTV surveillance initiative was conceptualized and executed by East Coast Railway as a pilot project, making it among the first such efforts within Indian Railways. The encouraging results and proven effectiveness of the system have since prompted other railway zones to adopt similar solar powered surveillance models at their own vulnerable and sensitive locations. ECoR's success in this initiative has thus positioned it as a benchmark for technology driven, sustainable railway security solutions across the network, reinforcing its role as a pioneer in innovation-led railway safety practices.