According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's written submission to the Lok Sabha, Indian Railways has set an ambitious aim of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
The commitment demonstrates the railway's commitment to energy conservation. Mr. Vaishnaw emphasized strong progress toward this goal, indicating that 60,814 kilometers of broad gauge networks would be electrified by November 2023. Notably, between April 2014 and November 2023, 39,013 kilometers were electrified, exceeding the 5,188 kilometers achieved from 2004 to 2014.
The Northern Railway leads in electrification with 6,799 route kilometers, according to zone figures. Mr. Vaishnaw provided specifics on electrified rail routes, including 146 kilometers in Maharashtra by November 30, 2023, in response to questions from MPs Rahul Ramesh Shewale, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, and Pritam Gopinath Munde about the railways' commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Mr. Vaishnaw noted that dedicated freight corridor projects, including the finished Eastern DFC and the ongoing Western DFC, are estimated to reduce emissions by about 457 million tons of CO2 over a 30-year period. He stressed that DFC operations will improve freight efficiency, resulting in increased throughput, lower energy usage, and shorter transit times.
Furthermore, Indian Railways has implemented a complete policy for non-traction energy-saving measures, including sustainable structures, cloud-based data monitoring, and 5-star rated equipment purchases from the Bureau of Energy Saving. Mr. Vaishnaw detailed a total of 17 energy-saving techniques implemented by the Railways.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
