Indian Railways is on course to complete the electrification of entire broadgauge network by 2023 with 66% of track length already covered so far. The speed of electrification has been scaled up from 1,176 km in 2014-15 to 5, 276 km in 2018-19 and 4,378 km in 2019-20 despite COVID-19 restrictions, said Railway Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vinod Kumar Yadav.
“It will be a unique feat among the major railways in the world to run trains fully with indigenously produced power without dependence on imported fossil fuel. After 100% electrification the estimated saving on fuel bill will be about ₹14,500 crore per annum,” he said, in a recent online media interaction.
IR has fixed itself a ‘stiff target’ of being a net-zero emitter of carbon by 2030 and the equally ambitious target is also for generation of renewable energy using railway’s assets. The first pilot solar power plant of 1.5 MW has taken off and the plan is to generate 20 GigaWatt of solar power using spare railway land and also provide free-of-cost fencing along the track to prevent encroachment, he explained.
Elevated corridors
With regard to the proposed new routes for the Bullet Trains or High Speed Rail Corridors (HSRC), including Hyderabad-Chennai-Bengaluru, Mr. Yadav said all the planned seven new routes will be elevated corridors along the national highways to “minimise land acquisition costs.”
Detailed project reports for taking up HSRC connecting Delhi-Agra-Varanasi (865 km), Varanasi-Patna-Howrah (760 km), Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad (886 km), Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (459 km), Mumbai-Nasik-Nagpur (753 km), Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad (711 km), Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysore (435 km) is expected to be ready by December 2021.
“How many of these will have HSRC where trains can travel in excess of 250-300 kmph and how many will be for semi-HSRCwhere trains can travel upwards from 160 kmph will be based on the detailed studies. The precise financial model too will be decided then,” he said.
Railways will be providing land and financing is likely to be through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. About 10,000 km of track connecting the major cities of Delhi, Mumbai-Howrah-Chennai or Golden Quadrilateral and Golden Diagonals, will be modernised to handle trains of speeds for up to 130 kmph by December 2021.
“Work for track and signalling in advanced stage. New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah sections have been upgraded and balance routes will be done by July 2021 including the Delhi-Chennai line,” he said. In fact, work of deep screening, thick web switches, realignment of curves is in progress in Mumbai-Delhi-Howrah sections (2,800 km) for running trains at 160 kmph by December 2023.
“Tenders are invited for solar panel fencing. These sections will have indigenous TCAS signalling, 2x25 kV traction system for operating the additional line capacity and safety in the high speeds,” added the Railway Board CEO.
