Konkan Railways goes green, completes 100 percent electrification

New Delhi: Konkan Railways completed its “Mission 100 percent Electrification” of its entire track on Tuesday, a step toward net-zero carbon emissions and green transportation.
Hailing the project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Konkan Railways and said the project would set a “new benchmark for sustainable development”. 
Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister wrote, “Congratulations to the entire @KonkanRailway Team for the remarkable success of ‘Mission 100% Electrification’ and setting new benchmarks of sustainable development.”
Konkan Railways completed the electrification of the entire stretch of 741 KMs on Tuesday.
The foundation stone for the electrification was laid in November 2015 at a total cost of Rs 1287 crore.
In a statement, the railways said “It is an important step towards green transportation on one of India’s biggest stretches of railway electrification. Konkan Railway has been accomplished under the able leadership of the Prime Minister and the guidance of the Minister of Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw. ” 
“Railways is on a mission mode to electrify its entire broad gauge network to provide an environmentally friendly, green and clean mode of transport to its people under the “Mission 100% Electrification-Moving towards net Zero Carbon Emission” plan,” it said.
The CRS inspection of the entire Konkan Railway route has been successfully conducted in six phases starting in March 2020. 
A CRS inspection of the last section between Ratnagiri and Thivim was carried out on March 24 and authorization was obtained on March 28.
The railways claim that electrifying the entire track will result in numerous inherent benefits.
“Significant savings in fuel expenditure, i.e. more than 150 Cr., seamless operation of electric traction on the West Coast, pollution-free mode of transportation, and reduced dependence on HSD oil,” it said.