Source: https://www.railwaygazette.com/
Indian Railways has planned to fully electrify its tracks by December 2023.
Indian Railways has logged the highest ever electrification of sections. Initiatives covered 6,015 Route Kilometer (RKM)in a single year during 2020-21. Despite the ongoing pandemic, it surpassed the previous highest of 5,276 RKM achieved in 2018-19.
The latest Broad Gauge network of Indian Railways is 63,949 Route kilometer (RKM) and with 740 km of Konkan Railway is 64,689 RKM, out of which 45,881 RKM i.e. 71 % have been electrified by 31.03.2021.
The initiative aims to reduce the Nation’s dependence on imported petroleum-based energy and to enhance the country’s energy security, with a vision of providing an eco-friendly, faster and energy-efficient mode of transportation.
More than 5 times electrification was achieved during (2014-21) last seven years as compared to during 2007-14. Since 2014, a record 24,080 RKM (37% of present Broad Gauge routes) have been electrified against electrification of 4,337 RKM (7% of present Broad Gauge routes) during 2007-14.
Out of a total of 45,881, RKM electrified so far, 34 % has been electrified in the last three years only. Major section electrified over the year: Mumbai-Howrah via Jabalpur, Delhi-Darbhanga-Jaynagar, Gorakhpur-Varanasi via Aunrihar, Jabalpur-Nainpur-Gondia- Ballarshah, Chennai-Trichy, Indore-Guna-Gwalior-Amritsar, Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur, New Delhi-New coochbehar-Srirampur Assam via Patna & Katihar, Ajmer-Howrah, Mumbai-Marwar, and Delhi-Moradabad-Tanakpur.
Total Rail electrification would contribute to the goal of “net-zero” emissions by 2030 by drawing its entire electrical load from renewable energy sources.