100 per cent railway network in Odisha electrified: Officials

BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Railways has completed electrification of the existing broad gauge network of Odisha that plays an important role in  transportation of minerals, agricultural products and other goods from the state to other parts of the country. Railways sources said the existing broad gauge network of 2,822 km has been 100 per cent electrified, resulting in savings on account of reduced line haul cost (around 2.5 times lower) and heavier haulage capacity. 

The state is served by three zonal railways - East Coast Railway (ECoR), South Eastern Railway (SER) and South East Central Railway (SECR). A majority of the railway network falls under the jurisdiction of ECoR, which is one of the six fully electrified railway zones of the country.

Odisha is the third state with its entire broad gauge railway network electrified after Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Full electrification of tracks will facilitate elimination of diesel traction and significantly reduce carbon footprint and environmental pollution. As per an estimate, carbon footprint of 3.8 lakh tonne will be reduced and over `1,200 crore saved every year due to electrification of the entire network. 

The pace of railway electrification has increased by nine times since 2014. Describing the history of electrification in the state, a railway official said though the ECoR line was integrated with the commissioned Howrah-Chennai electrified trunk route in 2005, there was a missing link between Kharagpur and Visakhapatnam stations. All trains from Howrah towards Chennai had to undergo a locomotive change from electric to diesel at Kharagpur and vice versa at Visakhapatnam in order to pass through Odisha.  

“The frequent loco change on a trunk route became a time-consuming and inconvenient process. With electrification along the 765 km Kharagpur-Visakhapatnam stretch, trains sped up and the need for double headed diesels for high speed express trains was eliminated,” he recalled. 

Later, the line branching off Khurda road towards Puri was also electrified and gradually the Cuttack-Angul line, Cuttack-Paradip line and branch line from Jakhapura towards Barbil got electrified. Electrification of the entire railway network in the state will lead to increased sectional capacity, reduced operating and maintenance cost of electric loco, energy efficiency and eco-friendly mode of transportation with reduced dependence on imported crude oil saving foreign exchange.