Indian Railways, in its mission to make the entire nations rail network electrified and shun diesel-based trains, has achieved a milestone by electrifying all the routes of Uttar Pradesh, even as it embarks on a journey to become a “Net Zero Carbon Emission” railway network in another seven years.With the completion of electrification of the 85-km Shubhagpur-Pachperwa section in Gorakhpur-based North Eastern Railway, the entire states railway lines now stand electrified. By its completion, the zone joined the East Coast Railway, North Central Railway, West Central Railway, Eastern Railway, and South Eastern Railway. Working on a target of 100 per cent electrification of all broad-gauge routes, the railways has so far achieved around 85 per cent progress.Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed happiness Very Good in a response to the tweet by Ministry of Railway, declaring the 100 percent electrification of the broad-gauge rail network in the state.To further Indian Railways progress towards #Mission100PercentElectrification, Broad Gauge rail network in Uttar Pradesh has now been 100% electrified. pic.twitter.com/4R8gEMzj54— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) February 21, 2023Indian Railways also has plans to shift to renewable energy in line with Indias global commitment to renewable energy as part of various international “climate” negotiations. The projected energy demand of Indian Railways is expected to be about 8,200 megawatts (MW) in 2029-30. To achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions, the expected requirement of renewable capacity by 2029-30 would be about 30,000 Megawatt, officials explained.Up to this point, 103 Mega Watt of wind power plants and around 143 Megawatt of solar power plants have been put into operation. Official data also indicates that 2,150 Megawatt of renewable energy capacity has been connected.A few years ago, rail engineers proposed solar-powered trains, but the project was not pursued as a result of some flaws. The findings indicated that the solar-powered trains can go well during the day time only and can generate the battery backup up to four-five hours. But the system will not work properly during the fog, rain and winter season in India. Hence, the idea did not pursue.According to information, the Indian Railways covers a huge 115,000 km network, making it the largest in Asia and the largest in the world. 2 operated under single management. It covers the route length of 67,368 kilometres. However, India Railway will continue to maintain a fleet of around 2000 diesel locomotives.At present, out of the 18 railway zones in the country, four zones: West Central Railway, South Eastern Railway, East Coast Railway Bhubaneswar, Eastern Railway were the only zones that were fully electrified. Now the North Central Railway is also part of it.Indian Railways to redevelop train stations like airportsHere is the list of few major railway stations which are proposed for the renovation:They have been developing a number of stations across India under the Amrit Bharat Scheme in addition to making India 100 percent electrified. The centre has announced the New Delhi Railway Station be renovated at the cost of Rs 4,700 crore, which handles approximately 3.6 million passengers on an average every day.Bengaluru Cantonment Railway Station has also been selected among multiple development projects. This will be proceeded in a phased manner with an investment of Rs 480 crore.Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus will also go under revamp with a budget of 18,000 crore. Few stations of Ahmedabad will also go under the changes with multiple stations- Sabarmati, Gandhigram, Maninagar, Chandlodia, and Asarwa and work is likely to start by the end of April. Southern Railways is also part of this renovation.Udaipur which is famous for its forts, has been allotted Rs 354 crore for the redevelopment of the Udaipur Railway Station. The station will be revamped in five phases and is expected to complete in the time period of three years.
