Railways diesel use falls sharply as electrification nears 100 pc HM Shah

Ahmedabad Sep 27 IANS Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday cited a sharp decline in diesel consumption and a rapid expansion of railway electrification to highlight changes in Indian Railways since 2014Speaking at a railway programme in Sabarmati HM Shah said diesel consumption for railway operations had fallen from 293 crore litres in 201516 to 108 crore litres in 202425 and said the eventual target is to bring diesel use for traction down to zeroThe figures cited by the Home Minister are consistent with data released by the Railway Ministry which said diesel consumption for traction fell by 185 crore litres between 201516 and 202425The ministry attributed the reduction primarily to the expansion of electric tractionHM Shah also pointed to the pace of electrification saying only around 75 km had been electrified annually in 201011 compared with 7188 km in 202324He compared Indias electrification level with other countries saying The country had reached a level close to complete electrificationRailway Ministry data puts Switzerland at 100 per cent India at 996 per cent China at 82 per cent Spain at 67 per cent France at 60 per cent and the UK at 39 per centThe Home Minister also cited increases in the railway safety budget and locomotive production capacity putting the rise at 67 per cent and 66 per cent respectivelyHe referred to the expansion of biotoilets and LHB coach production claiming that 97 per cent of the biotoilets and 87 per cent of LHB coach production had been achieved during PM Modis governmentOn railway investment in Gujarat HM Shah said The state had received Rs 589 crore annually during 200914 compared with a railway allocation of Rs 17366 crore for 202627The Home Minister attributed the changes to the Modi governments emphasis on electrification indigenous manufacturing and railway infrastructure saying the figures represented a significant shift in the scale of investment and modernisationIANS