Railways sets new record in freight loading, electrification in 2023-24

New Delhi: More than 7,180 route km of railway tracks were electrified in the financial year 2023-24, the highest ever in the history of the national transporter, officials said. The route km of tracks electrified in the 2022-23 fiscal was 6,565.

The officials also highlighted that the railways also set records in categories such as freight loading, track laying and automatic signalling in 2023-24.

“We are rapidly progressing to accomplish ‘Mission 100 Percent Electrification’ and become the largest green railway network in the world. In the financial year 2023-24, 7,188 route km have been electrified, which is the highest electrification ever in the history of the railways. In the previous financial year, it was 6,565 route km,” a senior railway official said.

In freight loading, the official said, “we loaded 1,591 MT in the financial year 2023-24 as compared to 1,512 MT in 2022-23, registering an increase of five per cent”. “The incremental 79 MT loading is the highest ever for the railways in any financial year,” the official said.

The officials said as far as laying of new lines — new line, doubling and gauge conversion — is concerned, 5,300 km has been achieved in the financial year 2023-24 as compared to 5,241 km in 2022-23. “Our average daily track laying comes out to be 14.5 km per day. It is also the highest ever,” the official said. To increase line capacity to run more trains on existing high density routes, the railways has come up with automatic block signalling which is a cost effective solution, the officials said.

During 2023-24, the railways upgraded 582 km with automatic signalling as compared to 530 km during 2022-23, which is also the best figures achieved till date, they said.

The official said that “551 stations were provided electronic interlocking in the financial year 2023-24 compared to 538 stations during the previous financial year”.

“Similarly, 135 railway stations have been provided with CCTV cameras during the financial year 2023-24 as compared to 16 stations in 2022-23,” the official said, adding that 1,001 stations have the provision of CCTV cameras as of today.