India plans to achieve zero-carbon rail operations by 2030

To transform Indian Railways into a green railway by 2030, India's Ministry of Railways has undertaken a series of major initiatives to mitigate global warming and combat climate change
.

The Ministry of Railways issued a statement on Monday saying that the electrification of railways, improving the energy efficiency of locomotives, trains and fixtures, green certification of installations/stations, installation of bio-toilets in passenger cars and conversion to renewable energy are part of
its strategy to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

Indian Railways has completed more than 40,000 km (RKM) of electrification (63% of broad gauge lines), of which 18,605 km was completed in 2014-2020
.
Previously, in the period 2009-2014, only 3,835 km of electrification was completed
.

Indian Railways has set a target
of 7,000km electrification in 2020-21.
All of the company's routes are scheduled to be electrified by December 2023
.
At the same time, the company is focusing on last-mile connectivity and electrification of missing links
.
With this in mind, 365 km of major connection work
has been carried out during COVID-19.

Indian Railways has also taken a number of initiatives to promote solar energy, including efforts to harness the energy potential
of 500 MW through rooftop solar panels.

To date, 100 MW of solar power facilities
have been commissioned on the roofs of various buildings, including 900 power stations.
In addition, solar power plants with a total installed capacity of 400 MW are in various stages
of execution.
Of these, 245 MW have been awarded in tenders, and the completion of these plants is targeted for December 2022
.

In addition to this, Indian Railways is also trying to generate electricity
for train operation through onshore solar installations.
Indian Railways has 51,000 hectares of land potential that could be used to install 20GW of terrestrial solar power plants
.

In the field of wind energy, Indian Railways has commissioned 103 MW of wind farms
.
Rajasthan has 26 MW, Tamil Nadu 21 MW and Maharashtra 56.
4 MW
.
Indian Railways also plans to build 200 MW of wind power plants
in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka over the next two years.
Aware of its role in climate change, Indian Railways has launched other green initiatives such as 100% LED lighting
for buildings and stations.