Amit Shah Cites Sharp Fall In Railways’ Diesel Use, Near-Complete Electrification

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday highlighted a steep decline in railway diesel use and the rapid expansion of electrification as key developments in Indian Railways since 2014.

Speaking at a railway programme in Sabarmati, Shah said railway operations consumed 293 crore litres of diesel in 2015-16, compared with 108 crore litres in 2024-25.

He said the government ultimately aims to eliminate diesel use for traction.

Railway Ministry data also shows that diesel consumption for traction fell by 185 crore litres over those years, largely because the network increasingly uses electric traction.

Shah contrasted the pace of electrification in 2010-11, when railways electrified about 75 km a year, with the 7,188 km electrified in 2023-24.

He said India had moved close to completing electrification across its rail network.

Ministry figures put India’s electrification rate at 99.6 per cent.

Switzerland has electrified 100 per cent of its network, while the figures for China, Spain, France and the UK stand at 82, 67, 60 and 39 per cent respectively.

Shah also cited a 67 per cent increase in the railway safety budget and a 66 per cent expansion in locomotive production capacity.

He said the government had completed 97 per cent of bio-toilet installation and 87 per cent of LHB coach production during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure.

The Home Minister compared Gujarat’s annual railway funding of Rs 589 crore during 2009-14 with the Rs 17,366 crore allocation for 2026-27.

Shah attributed the sector’s changes to the government’s focus on electrification, domestic manufacturing and infrastructure development.

He said the figures showed the scale of investment and modernisation underway in Indian Railways.

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