Rail to strengthen drone surveillance, double East Coast Railway fleet to 22 by March 2027

East Coast Railway (ECoR) plans to double its drone fleet from 11 to 22 by March 2027 to strengthen surveillance at vulnerable locations and detect suspicious activities.

The drones are deployed across its three divisions under the “DROAWK EYE – Observation, Detection, Prevention” scheme, supporting the Railway Protection Force in monitoring vulnerable locations and preventing offences.

Of the 11 current drones, four are deployed in Khurda Road, six in Sambalpur and one in Rayagada division. The operations are supported by 160 Directorate General of Civil Aviation-certified drone pilots. The network covers 284 stations, 2,708 route kilometres and 6,072 track kilometres across 31 RPF posts.

In a release, ECoR said its RPF conducted 3,033 drone sorties between January 1 and September 15, 2026, including 680 in Khurda Road, 1,024 in Rayagada and 1,329 in Sambalpur division. Of these, 1,265 were RED-coded sorties focused on critical security activities, including preventing sabotage and stone pelting, detecting cable theft and monitoring fire safety.

A single drone team can effectively monitor about 8-10km. Equipped with night vision and thermal cameras, the drones are particularly useful in forests, hilly terrain, tunnels, bridges and isolated stretches. They also help monitor railway stations, coaching yards and vital installations, detect trespassing, theft and encroachment, and support investigations and disaster response.