Indian Railways Green target: Check out the progress made on 100% electrification mission

Delivery progress on Budget Promises: The Railway Ministry plans for 100 per cent electrification across the Indian Railways network. According to the Ministry of Finance, India aims to be the world’s first 100 per cent green railway with net zero emission by the year 2030. As the Modi government, in the previous Union Budget, had stated complete electrification of the rail network, the ministry claimed that environment-friendly electrification of the Indian Railways in the country has increased nearly ten times since the year 2014. In the earlier budget, the government had announced that Broad Gauge Route Kilometres (RKM) electrified is likely to reach 46,000 RKM i.e., 72 per cent by end of 2021 from 41,548 RKM on 1 October 2020. Below is the progress made on electrification so far:

• The national transporter is marching towards mission 100 per cent electrification by the year 2023
• Indian Railways logged the highest-ever route electrification despite unforeseen challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic
• A total of 6,015 Route Kilometre (RKM) electrification in the financial year 2020-21 has been registered, surpassing the previous highest of 5,276 RKM in the financial year 2018-19
• Out of the total Broad Gauge network of 64,689 RKM, 45,881 RKM i.e., 71 per cent of the Broad Gauge network has been electrified till 31 March 2021
• In the last three years, 34 per cent of total electrification across the Indian Railways network has been completed

According to the Railway Ministry, the total electrification of Indian Railways would contribute to the “net zero” emissions’ goal by the year 2030 by drawing its entire electrical load from renewable energy sources. Some of the major railway sections electrified by the Indian Railways over the last few years include Mumbai – Howrah via Jabalpur, Delhi – Darbhanga – Jaynagar, Gorakhpur – Varanasi via Aunrihar, Chennai – Trichy, Indore – Guna – Gwalior – Amritsar, Jabalpur – Nainpur – Gondia – Ballarshah, Delhi – Jaipur – Udaipur, New Delhi – New Coochbehar – Srirampur Assam via Patna and Katihar, Ajmer – Howrah, Mumbai – Marwar and Delhi – Moradabad – Tanakpur.