Rail Electrification

India began electrifying its railways in 1925, but for most of the next century progress was slow — only about 40% of the broad-gauge network was electrified by 2017. The last decade changed that decisively: since 2014, India has electrified 48,072 route km — more than twice the 21,801 km electrified in all the years before — reaching 99.6% of the broad-gauge network by 2026.

The push runs under Mission 100% Electrification. The pace rose from about 1.42 km a day (2004–2014) to over 15 km a day (2019–2025), and 25 states and union territories are now fully electrified. Alongside the wires, Indian Railways expanded solar power from 3.68 MW in 2014 to 898 MW by 2025 across 2,626 stations — part of a target to become a net-zero-carbon railway by 2030.

Electrifying a railway means stringing overhead power lines above the tracks so trains run on electric locomotives instead of diesel. India pursued this as a giant, focused mission — sanctioning electrification with every new line and multi-tracking project, and racing to wire the last diesel routes. Electric traction is cheaper to run, hauls more, and cuts oil imports; the catch is that the electricity itself still comes largely from coal.

India has electrified 99.6% of its broad-gauge network — 48,072 route km of it since 2014 — one of the largest electrified rail systems in the world, at a pace that hit nearly 20 km a day. The final stretch is the hardest — a few hundred kilometres in difficult terrain (Assam, hill sections) awaiting clearances. Beyond that, the goal is net-zero railways by 2030, which needs the grid itself to green, not just the trains.

21,801 → 69,873 route km electrified (2014 → 2026), 99.6% of the broad-gauge network. 48,072 km electrified since 2014. ~70% cheaper than diesel traction. 3.68 → 898 MW railway solar power. 574 km (0.8%) remaining. Sources: Ministry of Railways, PIB.