Indian Railways on mission mode to become net zero carbon emitter before 2030: Govt

The Indian Railways is marching swiftly on its mission of 100 percent electrification to become the largest Green Railway in the world, says the Ministry of Railways on Monday adding that the Indian Railways is moving towards becoming a net zero carbon emitter before 2030. 

The Ministry said that after the completion of electrification in Uttar Pradesh recently, the Indian Railways have achieved another milestone by completely electrifying Uttarakhand. 

Electification completes in Uttarakhand

As per the official data given by the Ministry of Railways, the existing Broad Gauge network of Uttarakhand is 347 route kilometres, which is now 100 percent electrified. The complete electrification is resulting in saving on account of reduced line haul cost for about 2.5 times lower, heavier haulage capacity, increased sectional capacity, reduced operating and maintenance cost of the electric loco, energy-efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation with reduced dependence on imported crude oil and saving of foreign exchange.

According to the Ministry, Uttarakhand state's territory falls in the Northern and Northeastern Railway's jurisdiction, under which, some of the major railway stations including Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Rishikesh, Kathgodam, and Tanakpur are situated. 

Among these major railway stations, some have religious importance and some are connected with attractive tourist places. This includes Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Hemkund Sahib, Mussoorie, Nainital, Jim Corbet and Haridwar to name a few. 

With around 7 lakh passengers footfall annually, Kathgodam is an important railway station as it acts as the entry to the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. The station witnessed its first train service on April 24, 1884. 

Now, some of the prestigious trains of Uttarakhand namely Nanda Devi Express, Haridwar Express, Mussoorie Express, Utkal Express, Kumaon Express, Doon Express and Shatabdi Express provide convenient connectivity to various parts of the state with major cities in India. The Indian Railways are helping greatly to boost the tourism business of the state. 

The Ministry of Railways said, through a press note, "From Rishikesh to Karnprayag, new line work is under construction which will be another landmark achievement of Indian Railways, bringing the Char Dham pilgrimage route to the Indian Railways' circuit. This route is sanctioned along with electrification, in sync with Railways' policy of a 100 percent electrified network."