Indian Economy News

14 States/UTs have been 100% electrified by Indian Railways

As of June 30, 2023, 59,096 route kilometres (RKM) of the broad-gauge network of Indian Railways (IR) have been electrified. Only 37,011 RKM of those have been electrified during the past nine years.

In Chandigarh, 16 RKM has been electrified, 1,199 RKM in Chhattisgarh, Delhi (183), Haryana (1,701), Himachal Pradesh (67), Jammu and Kashmir (298), Jharkhand (2,558), Madhya Pradesh (4,822), Meghalaya (9), Odisha (2,822), Puducherry (21), Telangana (1,858), UP (8,482), Uttarakhand (347), Bihar (3,614), Andhra Pradesh (3,841), Tamil Nadu (3,659), Maharashtra (5,441), West Bengal (3,682), Kerala (947), Gujarat (3,435), Punjab (1,915), Rajasthan (4,387), Goa (147), Karnataka (2,844), and Assam (801).

Indian Railways has taken various measures to ensure that the railway electrification work is finished on schedule. These steps include the formation of the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) portal to resolve the commissioning constraint, the creation of the ‘Gati Shakti Directorate’ within the Railway Board for smooth and speedy project approval, and the provision of an efficient project monitoring system, among others. In addition, large-size projects are being executed in Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract mode, assured funding is being arranged and financial powers are decentralised to field units to expedite the project execution and completion.

Existing Broad-Gauge network in the States/UTs of Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Puducherry, Telangana, UP, and Uttarakhand. have been 100% electrified. Moreover, the electrification of 3,614 RKM out of 3,710 RKM and 3,435 RKM out of 3,862 RKM have been completed in the States of Bihar and Gujarat, respectively.

By 2030, Indian Railways (IR) plans to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter. The use of energy-efficient technologies, such as switching completely to the production of three-phase electric locomotives with regenerative features, head-on generation (HOG) technology, LED lighting in buildings and coaches, star-rated appliances, water conservation and its management, and afforestation, are some of the initiatives that IR has taken to reduce its carbon emissions.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.