Rail would need over 30 bn units of power after full electrification: Govt

Railway Minister Vaishnaw presented the current status of the electrification of railway lines and said that significant progress has been made so far in the electrification of broad gauge lines

The railways would require around 30.13 billion units of electricity after 100 per cent electrification of its broad gauge lines, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed the Lok Sabha.

In a written reply on December 13 to a query by BJP MP Rajesh Chudasama who wanted to know the electrification status, he said the railways is progressively procuring renewable energy from different sources for its present and future requirements.

Chudasama also sought to know the expected consumption after 100 per cent electrification and "the manner in which Railways is likely to ensure that the increased electricity demand is met through renewable sources".

In his reply, Vaishnaw said, "Based on the present electricity consumption for traction purposes of Indian Railways, the expected increase in electricity consumption after 100 per cent electrification is estimated to be about 30.13 billion units. The actual demand will depend on the future passenger and goods traffic over Indian Railways."

He presented the current status of the electrification of railway lines and said that significant progress has been made so far in the electrification of broad gauge lines.

"So far, broad gauge lines of 60,814 km of Indian Railways have been electrified up to November 2023. Out of this 39,013 km have been electrified during 2014- up to Nov' 23, as against 5,188 km during 2004-14," Vaishnaw said.