The Nagpur division of Central Railway, which is a major link for both north-south (Jammu to Kanyakumari) and east-west (Mumbai to Howrah) rail routes and network, has completed 25 years of electrification.
The Nagpur-Ballarshah towards Kazipeth in South Central Railway and Nagpur-Itarsi towards New Delhi via Bhopal and Jhansi were electrified in these years enabling smooth running of trains from New Delhi to Chennai and Secunderabad.
The missing link between Nagpur and Bhusawal (between Wardha and Bhusawal) was also electrified later which paved way for trains running on electric locomotives from the then Victoria Terminus (VT), Mumbai to Nagpur, a release issued by Central Railway's Nagpur division said here.
The diesel locomotives entered Nagpur division in 1974. To tackle pollution caused by diesel traction, electric engines were introduced in 1989.
A massive electrification work in hilly terrain was started in 1983. The poles were erected by using helicopters at many locations, the release said.
The electrification of this division has helped in increasing train load from 17 coaches to 24 and also increased acceleration to achieve punctuality of trains.
Goods trains also carry increased load from 2,300 tonnes to 5,300 tonnes, it said.
At present, 1,741 TKM (track kilometres) of Nagpur division is electrified and is being fed by 14 traction sub-stations, the release added.
