New Delhi, 22 July (H.S.):

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that 99.6 per cent of Indian Railways’ broad-gauge network has been electrified. With this achievement, India has become the world’s second-largest country in railway electrification after Switzerland. He said the electrification of the remaining rail routes is being carried out in mission mode.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw stated that between 2014 and 2026, 48,072 route kilometres of rail lines were electrified, whereas in the nearly 60 years prior to 2014, only about 21,801 route kilometres had been electrified. He said all new railway lines and multi-tracking projects are now being constructed with electrification from the outset.

He said that according to the June 2025 report of the International Union of Railways (UIC), Switzerland’s rail network is fully electrified, while India’s network is 99.6 per cent electrified. In comparison, 82 per cent of China’s, 67 per cent of Spain’s, 64 per cent of Japan’s, 60 per cent of France’s and 39 per cent of the UK’s rail networks are electrified.

The Railway Minister said electrification of the railways has led to a significant reduction in diesel dependence. Diesel consumption for railway traction fell from 293 crore litres in 2015–16 to 108 crore litres in 2024–25. This has resulted in a saving of 185 crore litres of diesel, leading to foreign exchange savings and a reduction in carbon emissions.

He stated that, according to a NITI Aayog report, transporting one tonne of freight over one kilometre emits 101 grams of carbon dioxide by road transport, whereas rail transport emits only 11.5 grams—about 89 per cent less than road transport.

Vaishnaw said Indian Railways is also promoting the use of clean energy. By June 2026, 1,161 megawatts of solar energy capacity and 103 megawatts of wind energy capacity had been installed on the railways. The railways aim to meet their traction power requirements in a phased manner through solar, wind and hybrid renewable energy sources.

He added that 15 railway zones in the country are now fully electrified, while work is being expedited to complete the remaining sections in the North Western Railway, Northeast Frontier Railway, Southern Railway and South Western Railway. At the state level, the broad-gauge rail network in most states—including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir—has been fully electrified.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar