The railway minister recently inaugurated the newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui section of North Western Railway, and flagged off the first train journey on this electrified route from Dhigawara station in Alwar District, Rajasthan.
A Glimpse Into Indian Railway’s Past
The history of railways in India dates back to 1832 when the first railway proposals were made in Madras. By 1837, India had its first train in the form of Red Hill Railway, aimed at transporting granite for road building. India’s first passenger train, operated by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, ran between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) to Thane by April 1853. A significant milestone was achieved in 1925 when the first electric passenger train started operation between Victoria Terminus and Kurla (Mumbai). Finally, in 1951, Indian Railways was nationalized.
Current Electrification Status and Goals
Currently, Indian Railways has set itself the target of full electrification of its Broad Gauge network by December 2023. Over 66% of this Broad Gauge route has already been electrified. From 2014 to 2020, a 371% electrification increase was recorded in contrast to the period 2009-2014, meaning 18,065 km of it was electrified.
The Advantages of Electrification
The benefits of electrification are vast and varied. This process will ensure seamless train operation by eliminating detention due to changes in traction from diesel to electric and vice versa. It will also enhance line capacity due to the higher speed and haulage capacity of electric locomotives. Safety will be improved as a result of an enhanced signaling system.
Financial benefits include the reduction in running costs, with electric traction being 50% cheaper than diesel. It also opens up more opportunities for employment during the construction phase of electrification, expected to generate about 20.4 crore man days of work.
Environmentally Friendly Approach
Using electric traction is an environmentally friendly option as it helps to reduce GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption by approximately 2.83 billion liters per annum. Total transition to electric traction will lead to a 24% reduction in CO2 emissions by Railways until 2027-28, which is in line with the commitment India made at Conference of Parties (COP) 21 (Paris).
Financial Savings and Sustainability
This change will result in savings of approximately Rs. 13,510 crore per annum in fuel bill as the maintenance of electric locomotives is much cheaper compared to diesel. The regeneration facilities of electric locomotives will save 15-20% energy, and reduce the overall requirement of electric locomotives due to their higher horsepower.
Utilization of Renewable Energy
In July 2020, Indian Railways decided to use vacant lands for Renewable Energy (RE) projects to meet its own energy needs. This decision is set to utilize solar energy for meeting its traction power requirements, thereby reducing the carbon footprint as the environmental cost per tonne Km for electric traction is less as compared to diesel.
