New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) India has emerged as the global leader with the largest electrified railway network in the world. With 99.6 per cent electrification of the country’s broad gauge track network, India is second only to Switzerland which has 100 per cent railway electrification, but the network is much smaller, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

India’s railway network electrification is ahead of China (82 per cent), Spain 67 (per cent), Japan (64 per cent), France (60 per cent) the United Kingdom (39 per cent).

Indian Railways (IR) has undertaken one of the fastest railway electrification programmes in the world. While many countries prioritise electrifying only their busiest passenger and freight corridors, India has chosen to electrify its entire broad gauge network, the minister said in a written reply to a question in the Lower House.

Electrification of the track network on Indian Railways has been taken up in mission mode with a massive 48,072 route km being electrified between 2014-2026. This represents a sharp acceleration compared to the 21,801 route km that was electrified in the 60 years before this period, the minister stated.

Further, electrification of railway tracks reduces dependency on fossil fuels, decreased diesel consumption resulting in lower carbon emission. Electrification enables better haulage capacity and higher train speeds, leading to reduced travel time and enhanced efficiency.

Reduction in IR’s diesel consumption for traction purpose by 185 crore litres with about 108 crore litres consumption in 2024-25 as compared to 293 crore litres in 2015-16. This has resulted in saving of precious foreign exchange, which would have otherwise been needed for import of fuel which has been saved due to electrification.

India’s diesel consumption for railway traction has also fallen sharply from 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25, resulting in a saving of precious foreign exchange and a reduction in carbon emissions. Over 1,260 MW of solar and wind power capacity has also been commissioned to support low-carbon operations on Indian Railways. The expansion of the railway network promotes cleaner mobility, as rail transport emits about 89 per cent less carbon di-oxide than road transport, the minister further stated.

Electrified railways are well suited for integrating solar, wind and other renewable energy into traction power systems, making them most effective transport systems for utilizing renewable electricity. Indian Railways is committed to sustainable operations through near total Railway Electrification combined with use of renewable energy sources, based on strategic power procurement planning, thus contributing to carbon footprint reduction, the minister added.

--IANS

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