Soon, Indian Railways is all set to be a 100 per cent electricity-driven rail network! The announcement was made by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who said that the plan will be implemented in the next four to five years. While speaking at the 8th World Energy Policy Summit, the minister said that this will make Indian Railways, the largest such network in the world to be 100 per cent electrified. According to Goyal, the national transporter is rapidly moving towards the electrification of its entire network. He was quoted in a PTI report saying that Indian Railways is about 55 per cent run by electric traction. The Modi government has tried to bring several steps to promote investments in the energy sector, he added.
Last year, in the month of July, the Railway Minister had said that all broad gauge routes across the country will be electrified in mission mode. Earlier, the minister also said that by 2030, the entire network of Indian Railways will be a Net-Zero emission network. Goyal had said that approximately 1.27 per cent of India’s total electricity consumption is consumed by the national transporter. The minister further revealed that for energy requirements, 3 per cent of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) oil is required by Indian Railways.
Earlier, the Railway Minister had said that his ministry is taking various energy-efficient measures to control the carbon footprint. These measures are being implemented by the national transporter as part of its plan to be an eco-friendly mode of transport for the public. Piyush Goyal chaired Railway Ministry eyes to electrify 100 per cent of broad gauge routes in mission mode, as a green transport mode. During the fiscal year 2018-19, approximately 20.44 billion units of electricity, as well as 3.1 billion litres of HSD oil, was consumed by the national transporter for its energy requirement, the minister said.