The Railways Ministry achieved a significant milestone of completing the electrification of all broad gauge routes in Uttar Pradesh, it has now completed the same for Uttarakhand, according to an official statement.
The existing broad gauge network of Uttarakhand is 347 route kilometres, which is now 100 per cent electrified, the ministry announced on Monday, March 13, 2023.
This will result in 2.5 times lower line haul cost, heavier haulage capacity, increased sectional capacity, reduced operating and maintenance cost of electric loco. This will also mean energy efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation and reduced dependence on imported crude oil and eventually saving of foreign exchange.
“Indian Railway is working in a mission mode to become the largest Green Railway in the world and is moving towards becoming a ‘net zero carbon emitter’ before 2030. After completion of electrification in Uttar Pradesh recently, Indian Railways has achieved another milestone. Indian Railways has completed the electrification of Uttarakhand,” it said.
Uttarakhand state’s territory falls in Northern and North Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction. Some of the major railway stations in Uttarakhand are Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Rishikesh, Kathgodam, and Tanakpur.
Some of these stations have religious importance and some are tourist spots. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Hemkund Sahib, Mussoorie, Nainital, Jim Carbet and Haridwar are a few to name.
Kathgodam station is an important station with annual passenger footfall of about seven lakh and this terminating station acts as an entry to the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. The first train to this station reached on April 24, 1884.
Some of the prestigious trains of Uttarakhand state are Nanda Devi, Haridwar Express, Mussoorie Express, Utkal Express, Kumaon Express, Doon Express and Shatabdi Express.
These trains provide convenient connectivity to various parts of the state and other major cities in India, helping greatly in tourism.
Further, from Rishikesh to Karnprayag, a new line work is under construction which will be another landmark achievement of Indian Railways, bringing Char Dham pilgrimage route on Indian Railways’ circuit. This route is sanctioned along with electrification, in sync with Railways’ policy of 100 per cent electrified network.
Electrification offers a number of advantages, including reduction in dependence on imported diesel fuel, thereby saving precious foreign currency, reduced carbon footprints and reduction in operating cost.
Last month, with the completion of electrification of the Subhagpur-Pachperwa Broad Gauge route in North Eastern Railway, Indian Railways completed the electrification of all BG routes in Uttar Pradesh.
In June 2021, the West Central Railway (WCR) became the first zone of the railways that achieved 100 per cent electrification.
So far, a total of seven railway zones out of 18 have been electrified, latest being the Central and the North Eastern Railways. Other zones that were electrified are: East Coast Railway, North Central Railway, Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.