Indian Railways have prepared an Action Plan to electrify 24,400 route kilometers in five years (2016-17 to 2020-21). Year-wise details are as under:-

 

Year	Route Kilometres to be electrified
2016-17	2000
2017-18	4000
2018-19	6000
2019-20	6200
2020-21	6200
Total	24400

 

5186 route kilometres of railway lines have been electrified during the last three years (i.e. 2014-15 to 2016-17). Year-wise details are as under:-

 

 

             

Year	Route Kilometres of Railway Lines electrified
2014-15	1375
2015-16	1730
2016-17	2013
Total	5118

 

During the last three years (2014-2017) and for 2017-18, total number of 93 railway electrification projects consisting 16815 route kilometer (RKM) at an estimated cost of ` 17165 crore have been included in Railway Budget and pace of electrification has been increased from present average of 1700 RKM/annum to 4000 RKM in 2017-18.

 

Further, to expedite electrification of railway lines in the country, various steps have been taken, which inter-alia include award of turn-key contracts, better project monitoring mechanism, enhancing power of field units for award of contracts including sanction of estimates and increasing the number of executing agencies from existing three to six by entrusting electrification works to new agencies viz. Indian Railway Construction Company, Rail India Technical and Economic Services and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.

 

To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Indian Railways have planned to source about 1000 Mega Watt (MW) Solar Power as a part of the Solar Mission of Railways and about 200 MW of power from wind mill power plants based on techno commercial assessments. 

 

Further, Railways are taking the following steps to promote use of clean fuels and reduce carbon emissions:

 

(i) Use of B5 (5% Bio-Diesel) blends of bio diesel in the diesel locomotives.

(ii) Use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) based dual fuel system on DEMU trains to achieve 20% substitution of Diesel with gas.

(iii) Development of CNG based dual fuel system with 40% substitution of diesel for high economy and environmental benefit.

(iv) Process to establish two bio diesel manufacturing plants with 30 Ton Per Day (TPD) capacity owned by Railways.

(v) Promote use of LNG/CNG as environment friendly industrial gas in place of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Acetylene in Railway workshops.

(vi) Promote and install roof top based solar power generation system in railways workshops and production units.

 

 

   This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 26.07.2017 (Wednesday).

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