Railway to achieve 100% electrification by FY26: Union Minister of Railways
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the railways will achieve 100 per cent electrification in the next fiscal year and is making rapid progress in the usage of renewable energy as well. As of date, over 97 per cent electrification of Railways has been achieved and by FY 2025-26, it will achieve 100 per cent electrification. The minister after signing the power purchase agreement (PPA) with the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP) said that the government has set a target of making railways net zero by 2030. The railway as of date has renewable energy capacity of 1500 MW or 1.5 GW, and 170 MW PPA signed MP is an important step in that direction.
The PPA has been signed between Railways, Waree Energies and Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL). The minister assured that Railways is ready to purchase from MP whatever renewable power it can generate provided supplies are stable. He said ‘If Madhya Pradesh can set up nuclear power plants too, Railways is ready to buy. We are interested in wind power as well’. The minister asserted that railways is also open to sign PPA with other states on similar models signed with MP for renewable energy supplies.
While talking about the railway budget and development in MP, he stated that MP has received a record railway budget of Rs 14745 crore for 2025-26 and comparing the rate of construction of railway lines he said that before 2014 it is used to be only 29-30 km per year which now increased to 223 km per year. The speed of work has increased by 7.5 times and the fund has been increased by 23 times.
