Indian Railways Moving Towards ‘Net Zero’ Carbon: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Power purchase agreement for renewable energy signed between the Ministry of Railways and the government of Madhya Pradesh

Indian Railways rapidly moving towards achieving its ‘Net Zero’ carbon target

Railway Minister emphasized the goal of sourcing more energy from renewable energy sources

New Delhi: While addressing investors and entrepreneurs at the “Global Investors Summit-2025” held in Bhopal, Railway Minister #AshwiniVaishnaw elaborated on the vision of #IndianRailways concerning #electrification and the use of alternative #energy sources. The Minister, who joined the summit via video conferencing, stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the target for Indian Railways to achieve ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions.

To achieve this, Indian Railways will complete 100% electrification by the fiscal year 2025-26. The next goal is to source as much energy as possible from renewable energy sources. In this regard, the #Railways has already tied up with renewable energy sources for 1,500 Megawatts of power. The recently signed 170 Megawatt MoU PPA with Madhya Pradesh marks an important step in this direction. We are also keen to purchase wind and nuclear power energy.

The Railway Minister further appealed to all states through this platform, urging them to supply as much renewable, wind, hydro, or nuclear power energy as possible to Indian Railways. He added that the model under which the #Railway Ministry and #MadhyaPradesh government are working is based on mutual understanding. Under this model, Madhya Pradesh’s power generators and Railways sign a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). This model can be replicated in other states across the country.

The Minister also mentioned that for the fiscal year 2025-26, the honorable Prime Minister has allocated a historic budget of ₹14,745 crores for Madhya Pradesh’s railway development. This is the largest budget allocation ever for the state. Before 2014, around 29 km of railway track was laid annually in Madhya Pradesh. Now, 230 km of track is being laid every year, meaning the pace of work has increased by 7.5 times, and the funding has increased by 23 times. He lauded the efforts of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who is constantly engaging with officials to boost railway development in the state.