The North Western Railway (NWR) has set a new record by completing the electrification work of 3,531 km of track from zero in the last nine years. The NWR was allocated a Rs 1,217 crore budget for the next fiscal year in the Union Budget presented in Parliament on Wednesday.
The electrification not only benefited passengers but also gave relief from pollution caused by diesel engines, ensured higher load carrying capacity of electric locomotives, more trains in operation, and reduction in dependence on fuel imports.
The electrification work on the broad gauge lines is being done at a fast pace for eco-friendly rail operations on the North Western Railway route and after the year 2014, an adequate budget was allocated for this project.
The electrification work done of 3,531 kilometers is more than 64 per cent of a total of 5,490 kilometers route of the NWR, and a target has been set up to complete the electrification of the entire track in the financial year 23-24, its Chief Public Relations Officer Captain Shashi Kiran said here today.
In the recent Rail Budget, a sum of Rs 1,217 crore has been allocated to the NWR to accelerate the electrification projects. Along with this, about Rs 68 crore has been sanctioned for other electrical works.
The Jaipur division of NWR has been 100 per cent electrified in the year 2022-23, and at present, a total of 94 pairs of passenger train services are being operated on electric traction, the CPRO claimed.