Ministry of Railways has planned for 100% electrification of Broad Gauge (BG) routes and accordingly work for electrification of balance BG routes of 13,675  Route   Kilometer. This has been approved at a cost of Rs 12,134 crore.

With above, Indian Railways will be the first major railway in the world to have 100% electrified BG railway network of such size, confirming its commitments towards a green and clean environment.

100% electrification will entail the following advantages:

1)    Reduced energy bill of Railways by about   Rs 13,000 crore per annum.

2)    Reduction in diesel oil consumption by about 2.8 billion litres, thereby reducing dependence on imported diesel oil and saving foreign exchange.

3)    Amenable to the adoption of renewable sources of energy like solar, wind power.

4)    Haulage of heavier freight and longer passenger trains at higher speed due to higher haulage capacity of electric loco.

5)    Increased capacity of railway network due to reduced detention and seamless transport on electric traction.

6)    Reduce carbon emission and improve environment particularly in cities like New Delhi.

This information was given by the Minister of State of Railways, Shri RajenGohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.