Rs 350-bn plan to electrify all railway lines across India: Railway Board

A Rs 350 billion plan has been drawn up for electrification of all railway lines across the country, Railway Board Member Ghanshyam Singh said here Sunday.

Electric energy was cheaper and Railways made a saving of Rs 135 billion per annum by using it instead of diesel on several routes, Singh, who is Member (Traction), said.

He said it was the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to carry out electrification of entire Indian Railways through indigenous sources.
 

"We plan to electrify the Rameswaram-Madurai section. The cost of electrification of the 161-km stretch will be around Rs 1.58 ," he told reporters after inspecting the cantilever Pamban bridge, an engineering marvel built across the sea connecting the holy island to the main land.

He also said it had been decided to build a new cantilever bridge with electric traction but as it would take a long time, Railways would first go for electrification of the existing bridge.