Indian Railway is working towards becoming the largest Green Railway in the world and is moving towards becoming a “net zero carbon emitter” before 2030.
Central Railway has achieved 100% Railway Electrification on all Broad Gauge routes (3825 Route Kilometres). The last non-electrified section of Central Railway i.e. Ausa Road- Latur Road (52 RKM) on Solapur Division was electrified on February 23.
Central Railway, now fully electrified on all broad gauge routes, has helped in reducing carbon footprints of 5.204 lakh tons every year and also saves ₹ 1670 crores annually.
Pace of Railway Electrification increased
The pace of Railway Electrification, which is environment friendly and reduces pollution, has increased significantly since 2014.
The railways have planned the electrification of Broad Gauge routes, which will facilitate the elimination of diesel traction resulting in a significant reduction in its carbon footprint and environmental pollution.
The pioneering railway, where the first electric train ran in India between the then Bombay Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Kurla on Harbour line on February 3, 1925. The section was electrified on 1500 volt DC.
The conversion of DC traction on Mumbai Division of Central Railway to AC traction began in 2001 and progressively-without significant disturbance to the suburban services-was completed in 2016.
Central Railway is strategically located in the middle part of India and it connects most of the Indian cities and other locations with the major cities in its jurisdiction like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Nasik, Solapur, Kolhapur etc The Punjab Mail Express, Howrah Mail, CSMT-H.
Nizamuddin Rajdhani Exp, Deccan Queen, Vande Bharat, Tejas Express, Konkan Kanya Exp, Pushpak Express, Mahanagari Express, Udyan Express, Shatabdi Express, Hussain Sagar Express, Siddeshwar Express etc are the major prestigious trains run over Central Railway network. The CR also runs suburban local trains i.e. the lifeline of Mumbai on electric traction.
Naresh Lalwani, General Manager, Central Railway said that “Railway is guided by a historical vision of being an environment friendly, efficient, cost-effective, punctual and a modern carrier of passengers as well as the freight in order to serve the growing needs of New India. This will also significantly reduce the fuel bill and earn carbon footprints”.
Electrification offers several advantages including:
• Environmental-friendly mode of transport
• Reduced dependence on imported diesel fuel, thereby saving precious foreign currency and reduced carbon footprints
• Reduced operating cost
• Haulage of heavier freight trains and longer passenger trains with high haulage capacity of Electric Locomotives leading to increased throughput
• Increased sectional capacity by eliminating detention on account of traction change
