Despite Covid-19 Pandemic, Indian Railway Achieves Highest Ever Electrification In A Year Covering 6,015 Route Kms

Indian Railways has logged the highest ever electrification of sections covering 6,015 Route Kilometer (RKM) in a single year during 2020-21.

Despite Covid-19 pandemic, it has surpassed the previous highest of 5,276 RKM achieved in 2018-19.

It is a proud moment for Indian Railways for achieving the target of 6000 km plus electrification project completion during tough time 2020-21. Indian Railways is becoming environment friendly and energy secured, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

The latest broad gauge network of Indian Railways including Konkan Railway is 64,689 RKM, out of which 45,881 RKM i.e. 71 per cent have been electrified by 31 March, 2021.

A lot of emphasis has been given to railway electrification in recent years with a view to reduce the nation's dependence on imported petroleum-based energy and to enhance the country's energy security, with a vision of providing eco-friendly, faster and energy-efficient mode of transportation.

More than five times electrification was achieved in the last seven years as compared to the period between 2007 and 2014. Since 2014, a record 24,080 RKM (37 per cent of present broad gauge routes) have been electrified against electrification of 4,337 RKM (7 per cent of present broad gauge routes) during 2007-14.

Out of total 45,881 RKM electrified so far, 34 per cent has been electrified in the last three years only.

Indian Railways has also commissioned a record 56 TSSs ( Traction Substations ) during 2020-21, as against previous best of 42, which is an improvement of 33 per cent despite Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 201 traction substations have been commissioned during the last seven years as well.

Some of the major sections electrified by the Indian Railways over this year include Mumbai-Howrah via Jabalpur, Indore-Guna-Gwalior-Amritsar, Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur and Ajmer-Howrah.