Decarbonization of Indian Railways

The report assesses the decarbonization of Indian Railways (IR), the world's second largest railway network and India's largest electricity consumer. It identifies that transitioning to an electrified network is a prerequisite for decarbonization. The study compares eight pathways based on procurement (captive generation vs. purchasing), rate (accelerated by 2020 vs. normal by 2030), and technology (solar vs. solar-wind mix). Findings indicate that accelerated captive generation is the most cost-effective pathway for both traction and non-traction segments, offering savings of 32% and 61% respectively over business-as-usual scenarios. Implementation challenges include inconsistent state policies on net metering and open access, as well as the need for load balancing technologies like power banking and pumped hydro storage.

• Indian Railways (IR) is the largest electricity consumer in India, using approximately 18 TWh annually, and consumes 2.6 billion liters of diesel per year.
• Electrification of the rail network is a necessary first step for decarbonization because clean electricity options like solar and wind are more available than clean fuel alternatives.
• For the traction segment, all decarbonized pathways are more cost-effective than business-as-usual, with the accelerated captive generation pathway providing the highest savings of 32% in average annual cash outflows.
• The non-traction segment offers even greater potential for cost savings, with the accelerated captive generation pathway reducing average annual cash outflows by 61% compared to business-as-usual.
• Solar and wind power are identified as the most feasible clean electricity options due to the long construction and approval times associated with nuclear and hydropower.
• Implementation of decarbonization is hindered by inconsistent state policies on net metering and open access; the report recommends prioritizing states like Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh where these are operational.
• To manage the intermittency of solar and wind power, the most immediately feasible load balancing options are power banking with state DISCOMs, net metering, and pumped hydro storage.
• Innovative financing through low-cost, long-term debt from sources like the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) or Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) could reduce decarbonization costs by up to 20%.

APA

Konda, C., Trivedi, S., & Shrimali, G. (2017). Decarbonization of Indian Railways. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Decarbonization-of-Indian-Railways_full-report.pdf

Chicago

Konda, Charith, Saurabh Trivedi, and Gireesh Shrimali. Decarbonization of Indian Railways. Climate Policy Initiative, 2017. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Decarbonization-of-Indian-Railways_full-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Konda |first1=Charith |last2=Trivedi |first2=Saurabh |last3=Shrimali |first3=Gireesh |title=Decarbonization of Indian Railways |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=March 2017 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Decarbonization-of-Indian-Railways_full-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{konda2017decarbonization, author = {Konda, Charith and Trivedi, Saurabh and Shrimali, Gireesh}, title = {{Decarbonization of Indian Railways}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Decarbonization-of-Indian-Railways_full-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }