"Southern Railway Completes 100% Broad Gauge Electrification Across 5,068 Route Kilometres"
Broad Gauge (BG)
railway track width of 1,676 mm; India's national standard gauge.
25 kV AC electrification
the overhead alternating-current system used as Indian Railways' standard for electric traction.
India's railway network is among the largest in the world by route kilometres. Historically, the network operated on multiple track gauges: Broad Gauge (BG) at 1,676 mm, Metre Gauge at 1,000 mm, and Narrow Gauge at 762 mm or 610 mm. This multi-gauge system created serious operational inefficiencies. Goods had to be transshipped and passengers had to change trains at gauge boundaries. Project Unigauge, launched in the 1990s, aimed to convert all metre-gauge and narrow-gauge lines to broad gauge, creating a unified national network. Progress has been gradual, with remote and hilly sections being the last to be converted.
Electrification of the broad-gauge network has been a parallel and equally important policy priority. Indian Railways adopted 25 kV AC overhead electrification as its standard system. The policy goal of achieving 100% electrification of the broad-gauge network is central to Indian Railways' plan to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030. The National Rail Plan (NRP), which sets out a long-term vision for Indian Railways, targets increasing freight modal share and reducing logistics costs, with electrification as a key enabler. Achieving full electrification removes the need to maintain a dual fleet of diesel and electric locomotives, simplifies operations, and reduces fuel import dependence.
Electrification of India's railways began in 1925, when the country's first electric train ran between Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla on a 1,500-volt DC system. Southern Railway's own electrification journey began in 1931, when Madras became the second metropolitan city in India after Bombay to introduce electric traction. The shift to 25 kV AC on the Madras Beach–Tambaram section followed in 1968. Southern Railway's completion of 100% broad-gauge electrification in 2026 thus closes a journey that began nearly a century ago.
Railway electrification means replacing diesel traction with electric traction by installing overhead equipment (OHE) carrying high-voltage alternating current, which electric locomotives draw power from through a pantograph. The 25 kV AC system used by Indian Railways is efficient over long distances and allows high-power locomotives to operate. Electric locomotives are faster, more powerful, and cheaper to run per kilometre than diesel locomotives. They also produce zero direct emissions at the point of use, making electrification a major lever for reducing the carbon footprint of freight and passenger transport.
A key operational benefit of full electrification is the elimination of traction change. On partially electrified networks, a train running from an electrified section into a non-electrified section must stop and swap its electric locomotive for a diesel one. …
Consider the following statements:
I.Indian Railways has prepared a National Rail Plan (NRP) to create a 'future ready' railway system by 2028.
II.'Kavach' is an Automatic Train Protection system developed in collaboration with Germany.
III.'Kavach' system consists of RFID tags fitted on track in station section.
Which of the statements given above are not correct?
With reference to Indian Railways' electrification and modernisation, consider the following pairs:
(Item) — (Fact)
1.National Rail Plan (NRP) — Targets a 'future ready' railway system by 2030
2.Kavach — Indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system
3.25 kV AC electrification — First introduced in India on the Madras Beach–Tambaram section
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements about railway electrification in India:
1.India's first electric train ran on a 1,500-volt DC system between Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla.
2.Indian Railways uses 25 kV AC as its standard overhead electrification system for broad-gauge lines.
3.Southern Railway was the first railway zone in India to introduce electric traction.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to Indian Railways' sustainability goals, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1.Indian Railways aims to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.
2.Head-on Generation (HOG) technology powers passenger coaches directly from the electric locomotive, replacing diesel generator cars.
3.Regenerative braking in electric locomotives feeds recovered energy back into the overhead supply system.
Consider the following statements about Southern Railway's electrification milestone:
1.Southern Railway has electrified its entire Broad Gauge network covering 5,068 route kilometres.
2.The final section to be electrified was the Pattukkottai–Karaikkudi stretch of 71 km.
3.Madras was the first metropolitan city in India to introduce electric traction in 1931.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account