Mission electrification to cover 24,000-km track in five years

NEW DELHI: Setting an ambitious target of electrification of 24,000-km long track in the next five years, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday said it will help in running trains in a faster and cleaner manner.

Besides, electrification of majority of routes will help railways in reducing the energy bill considerably, he said. “Railways' expenditure on energy is the second highest after salary and pension bill.

Expansion of electrified routes across the country will also help in reducing the energy bill as we have committed to reduce the energy cost,” he said at global seminar on Mission Electrification and Decarbonisation of Indian Railways here.

Describing the event as an “important milestone”, Prabhu said, “When railways started its operation it used horses to pull the train. Now we are using horsepower to move trains at faster pace. So it is back to roots.”

Currently about 2,000 km track is being electrified in a year and the aim is to reach 4,000 km per year by 2017-18 and 6,000 km in subsequent year.

Talking about mission electrification, Prabhu said, “The target is electrification of about 24,000 km in the next five years and the electrification will also reduce the energy bill. We have tied up with three PSUs to increase the pace of route electrification.”