Railways sets target of becoming net zero carbon emitter by 2030

NEW DELHI: The Railways has set a target of going completely green by becoming a ‘net zero' carbon emitter by 2030 through various initiatives, including electrification of broad gauge, improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable sources, the national transporter said on Monday.

It has also set a target of electrification of all routes on broad gauge by December 2023. “Railway electrification, improving energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations, green certification for installations/stations, fitting bio-toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy are parts of its strategy of achieving net zero carbon emission,” it said.

The statement said the Railways has completed electrification of more than 40,000 Route Kilometres (RKM) (63 per cent of Broad Gauge (BG) routes). It said 18,605 km electrification work has been done during 2014-20 compared to 3,835 km in 2009-14.

It said 365 km major connectivity work has been commissioned even during the COVID period.

During the COVID period, Katni-satna section (99 RKM) of Mumbai-howrah via Allahabad route has been commissioned providing an alternate route to Howrah. Likewise, Pachore-maksi (88 RKM) section on Indore - Guna-bina route has also been commissioned providing an alternate route to Maksi-bhopal-bina, it said, adding that on the Howrah/sealdah-svd Katra via Patna route, Bhagalpur-shivnarayanpur (45 RKM) section has been commissioned. On the route connecting Kariakal port to coal, fertilizer and steel plants in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Thiruvarur - Karaikal port (46 RKM) section has been commissioned, providing port connectivity to Erode, Coimbatore and Palghat. “Indian Railways has also taken a number of initiatives to promote solar energy. Indian Railways is working to harness the potential of 500 Mega Watt (MW) energy through roof top solar panels (Developer model),” the statement said.