Konkan Railway accomplishes hundred per cent electrification of its track
Mar 30, 2022
New Delhi [India], March 30 : Konkan Railway has accomplished 100 per cent electrification of the entire stretch of its broad gauge network as a part of its plan to provide an environment-friendly, green and clean mode of transportation to passengers under the 'Mission 100 per cent Electrification'. It has, thus, moved to the net 'Zero Carbon Emission' plan.
As per the official information, the foundation stone for the electrification of the entire 741 km route work was laid in November 2015. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,287 crore.
The CRS inspection of the entire Konkan Railway route has been successfully conducted in six phases starting from March 2020. CRS inspection of the last section between Ratnagiri and Thivim was carried out on March 24, 2022, and authorization was obtained on March 28.
The electrification project had been challenging due to the difficult terrain of the Konkan Railway and the non-conducive atmosphere due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Moreover, due to the extreme monsoon in the Konkan region, special arrangements had to be made at many locations to keep the electrification mission going non-stop.
It is worthy to note the numerous inherent benefits of electric traction which include significant savings in fuel expenditure, which is more than Rs 150 crore, seamless operation of electric traction on the West Coast, pollution-free mode of transportation and reduced dependence on HSD oil.
The train operations with electric traction will be implemented on the newly electrified KR route in a phased manner, said the official.
