Ahmedabad, Sep 27 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday cited a sharp decline in diesel consumption and a rapid expansion of railway electrification to highlight changes in Indian Railways since 2014.
Speaking at a railway programme in Sabarmati, HM Shah said diesel consumption for railway operations had fallen from 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25, and said the eventual target is to bring diesel use for traction down to “zero”.
The figures cited by the Home Minister are consistent with data released by the Railway Ministry, which said diesel consumption for traction fell by 185 crore litres between 2015-16 and 2024-25.
The ministry attributed the reduction primarily to the expansion of electric traction.
HM Shah also pointed to the pace of electrification, saying only around 75 km had been electrified annually in 2010-11 compared with 7,188 km in 2023-24.
He compared India’s electrification level with other countries, saying: “The country had reached a level close to complete electrification.”
Railway Ministry data puts Switzerland at 100 per cent, India at 99.6 per cent, China at 82 per cent, Spain at 67 per cent, France at 60 per cent and the UK at 39 per cent.
The Home Minister also cited increases in the railway safety budget and locomotive production capacity, putting the rise at 67 per cent and 66 per cent respectively.
He referred to the expansion of bio-toilets and LHB coach production, claiming that 97 per cent of the bio-toilets and 87 per cent of LHB coach production had been achieved during PM Modi’s government.
On railway investment in Gujarat, HM Shah said: ” The state had received Rs 589 crore annually during 2009-14, compared with a railway allocation of Rs 17,366 crore for 2026-27.”
The Home Minister attributed the changes to the Modi government’s emphasis on electrification, indigenous manufacturing and railway infrastructure, saying the figures represented a significant shift in the scale of investment and modernisation.
Photographer: BRIJESHKUMAR RAMESHBHAI PRAJAPATI, AHMEDABAD
