Indian Railways aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2030

Indian Railways has set a target of becoming a 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2030 through various initiatives, including electrification of broad gauge and increasing use of renewable energy.

Increasing the electrification of railway lines and reducing usage of diesel, improving energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations, green certification for installations/stations, fitting bio-toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy are parts of its strategy of achieving net-zero carbon emissions, the Railways said.

"By 2030 we will be a net-zero emission railway, our carbon emission will be zero. Indian Railways transports nearly 8 billion passengers and 1.2 billion tonnes of freight every year. Ours will be the world's first Railways of this scale to go green," Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted.

The Railways is planning to use its surplus land to generate 20 GW of renewable energy from 'Made in India' solar or wind equipment to power its network, said Goyal.

He said Indian Railways will be a 100% electricity-driven rail network in coming years which would make it the largest such network in the world.

The Railways has also taken a number of initiatives to promote solar energy. Indian Railways is working to harness the potential of 500 Mega Watt (MW) energy through roof top solar panels (Developer model), said an official.

Till date,100 MW of solar plants have been commissioned on roof-tops of various buildings including 900 stations.

Solar plants with a combined capacity of 400 MW are under different stages of execution. Tenders are already awarded for 245 MW and the target for completion of these plants is December 2022, the official added.

Besides, Indian Railways is trying to produce power from land-based solar installations for running trains.

The Railways has 51,000 hectare of land potential of installing 20 GW land-based solar plants, said the official.