<p>The Railways has prepared a blueprint for electrification of its entire network with by investing Rs 40,000 crore in the next four years. </p>.<p>The Railways aims to engage public sector undertakings, including IRCON, RITES and Power Grid Corporation, to complete the task, a senior official said.</p>.<p>At present, 43% of the total 60,000 km of broad gauge network is electrified. The energy bill is touching about Rs 32,000 crore a year, of which diesel costs about Rs 18,000 crore.</p>.<p>The Railways is expecting to save around Rs 11,000 crore once the entire route is electrified. The ministry hopes to raise funds through internal resources, the official said.</p>.<p>Through electrification, the Railways will achieve its target to reduce fuel costs as well as carbon footprint, the official added.</p>.<p>The Railways will also require an additional 5,000 electric locomotives in the next three to five years. At present, there are 4,500 such loco engines.</p>.<p>The Railways is hoping to meet the demand once the Alstom plant being set up at Madhepura, Bihar, begins operations.</p>.<p>Apart from this, the ministry is also planning to augment its production from its electric loco manufacturing unit in Varanasi and Chittaranjan Locomotive Works in West Bengal.</p>.<p>The Railways has expedited the speed of electrification from the current average of 1,700 km per year to 4,000 km in 2017-18.</p>.<p>At present, 67% of freight traffic and 50% of passenger traffic plies on the electric network.</p>.<p>Running an electric locomotive network is 50% cheaper than diesel engines.</p>
<p>The Railways has prepared a blueprint for electrification of its entire network with by investing Rs 40,000 crore in the next four years. </p>.<p>The Railways aims to engage public sector undertakings, including IRCON, RITES and Power Grid Corporation, to complete the task, a senior official said.</p>.<p>At present, 43% of the total 60,000 km of broad gauge network is electrified. The energy bill is touching about Rs 32,000 crore a year, of which diesel costs about Rs 18,000 crore.</p>.<p>The Railways is expecting to save around Rs 11,000 crore once the entire route is electrified. The ministry hopes to raise funds through internal resources, the official said.</p>.<p>Through electrification, the Railways will achieve its target to reduce fuel costs as well as carbon footprint, the official added.</p>.<p>The Railways will also require an additional 5,000 electric locomotives in the next three to five years. At present, there are 4,500 such loco engines.</p>.<p>The Railways is hoping to meet the demand once the Alstom plant being set up at Madhepura, Bihar, begins operations.</p>.<p>Apart from this, the ministry is also planning to augment its production from its electric loco manufacturing unit in Varanasi and Chittaranjan Locomotive Works in West Bengal.</p>.<p>The Railways has expedited the speed of electrification from the current average of 1,700 km per year to 4,000 km in 2017-18.</p>.<p>At present, 67% of freight traffic and 50% of passenger traffic plies on the electric network.</p>.<p>Running an electric locomotive network is 50% cheaper than diesel engines.</p>
