For the first time, the Railways Ministry has signed nine EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) contracts for electrification of railway lines at a cost of ₹2,800 crore.
This is part of a strategy to speed up the electrification of railway lines(only 42% of the lines are currently electrified). Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a target to double this in five years and this year’s Budget had announced the Railways would tap the EPC route for expediting electrification projects.
The first EPC contract worth ₹1,050 crore was awarded to private sector engineering major L&T for electrifying 781 route kilometres while eight more such pacts worth ₹746 crore had been signed by zonal railways with public sector firms. These pertain to electrifying 1,735 route kilometres of railway lines.
The Railways expects to cut its fuel bill by ₹3,300 crore annually by 2020-21, when it hoped to electrify 90% of all broad gauge tracks.
’Modernisation’
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said the electrification mission, unveiled last November, was not just about energy saving but also modernisation of the utility.
“This will result in higher speed, help seamless travel and must be viewed together with the other ancillary measures taken such as converting all metre gauge lines to broad gauge and retro-fitting 40,000 coaches and rolling stock,” the Railways Minister said.
