Indian Railways Accelerates Renewable Energy Adoption

Indian Railways is continuously upgrading its infrastructure and rolling stock by adopting the latest technologies to enhance safety, punctuality, reliability, and passenger comfort. These upgrades reflect a focused effort to modernise the system and meet growing passenger expectations.

With the adoption of modern technology and the Electrification of the rail network, the use of coal- and diesel-powered engines has declined.

Electrification of the railway network on Indian Railways is being undertaken in mission mode. So far, about 99.2% of the Broad Gauge (BG) network has been electrified. The electrification of the remaining network has been taken up. Electrification carried out during 2014-25 and before 2014 is as follows:

Indian Railways is now manufacturing and commissioning state-of-the-art three-phase, insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)- based locomotives. These locomotives feature regenerative braking, which recovers energy during braking, making them more energy-efficient.

The coal-fired steam engines are being utilised on UNESCO-accredited mountain railways, seasonal steam-hauled trains and in chartered trains in association with ICRTC. Their utilisation is on railway routes with heritage values.

Indian Railways plans to progressively meet its traction power requirements through renewable energy, combining solar, wind, and other sources, guided by strategic power procurement planning, thereby reducing carbon emissions.

As of November 2025, about 812 megawatts (MW) of solar plants and about 93 MW of wind power plants have been commissioned, meeting the Indian Railways’ traction requirement.

Further, 100 MW of renewable power under the Round the Clock (RTC) mode, procured through the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), has also started flowing for traction.

In addition, 1,500 MW of renewable capacity under the RTC mode has been allocated to meet the traction power requirement. This is a hybrid solution comprising solar, wind, and storage components.

In August 2025, Indian Railways installed portable solar panels on railway tracks at the Banaras Locomotive Works production unit in Varanasi to harness solar energy from unused space. 

In 2023-24, expenditure on traction on Indian Railways was Rs 29,614 cr, covering all types of traction.

Indian Railways has also undertaken a state-of-the-art project to run its first hydrogen train on a pilot basis, in accordance with specifications set by the Research, Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO), to demonstrate hydrogen-powered train technology.

The project demonstrates Indian Railways’ commitment to advancing alternative-energy-powered train travel, thereby helping ensure a cleaner, greener future for the country’s transportation sector.

As part of its strategy to achieve the Net Zero Carbon Emitter target by 2030, Indian Railways plans to progressively meet its electricity requirement through renewable energy, with a mix of solar, wind, and other sources, guided by strategic power procurement planning, thereby reducing its carbon emissions.