By Ananya Singh
The Indian Railways has resolved to phase out diesel engines in the next five years. This will lead to a substantial shift to electric trains. The Railways Minister, Piyush Goyal, announced the same during an executive committee meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The switch over to electric locomotives will enable Railways to save an annual amount of Rs. 11,500 crores.
Complete electrification of the Indian Railways
The Railway Minister, on 21st November, stated that We have planned to switch all trains to electric-driven in the next five years. While the railways will be completely electrified, the diesel locomotives are to be relegated to the background. They are only to be used for “backup purposes in the yards. The switch to electric trains is considered to be in tandem with the Ministry’s emphasis on safety and speed.
The Minister further announced that production of Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches has been stepped up in order to ensure passengers’ safety. This decision stems from the recommendations of a safety review committee. In 2012, the committee suggested switching over from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches to LHB coaches. These coaches are considered to encompass better safety features.
I have asked the rail coach factories to develop the LHB coaches and also double up their production at Rae Bareli coach factory, which currently manufactures 1,000 coaches annually, said Piyush Goyal. He further added that June 2018 will be the last month for manufacturing ICF coaches.
Additionally, the Railway Ministry is already in talks with the Uttar Pradesh government for allotting 200 acres of land to allow the Rae Bareli coach factory to expand and increase production.
GE’s diesel locomotives project
This decision comes two months after the dispute over the manufacture of diesel engines with General Electric (GE).
GE’s Marhaura diesel locomotive project based in Bihar would suffer due to the Railway Minister’s announcement. Under the purview of the project, the company is setting up a factory at a cost of Rs. 2,052.58 crores, with a narrow margin of equity contribution by the Ministry of Railways. The initial plan was for GE to supply 1,000 high-performing diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 horsepower over a 10 year period.
At a meeting on 7th September, Piyush Goyal asked the national transporter to review GE’s project proposal. He requested them to keep in mind the objective of complete electrification of railways by 2022. The company stated that abandoning the project would seriously impact “job creation and skills development and cause the government to incur substantial costs.
In a bid to ensure safety
The switch to electric trains from diesel locomotives will allow the Indian Railways to save Rs. 11,500 crores, thus reducing the costs of operation. The decision taken by the Ministry targets lower costs, increased efficiency and a reduction in carbon emissions.
To reiterate the Railways’ focus on safety, Piyush Goyal further stated, “We have approved 372 escalators in Mumbai suburban alone and we will have close to 3,000 escalators being set up in the Railways across the country”.
Through bringing efficiency in the existing system, we can reduce operational costs and provide better services to our users, he added.
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