On 21 September 2021, Western Railways operated the first electric train from Pipavav Port of Bhavnagar Division, making it the country’s first Indian Port connected with High Rise OHE.
In continuation with the Modi government’s prestigious mission of 100 per cent electrification of the Indian Railways network, the Western Railway zone has made another historical achievement. On 21 September 2021, Western Railways operated the first electric train from Pipavav Port of Bhavnagar Division, making it the country’s first Indian Port connected with High Rise OHE. According to Western Railways, with the flagging off this train, a new customer, i.e., Pipavav Rail Corporation Limited has been added as Container Operator. It further said the first rake was loaded from Pipavav Port siding to Bhagat Ki Kothi in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Now, this port is directly connected with the Dedicated Freight Corridor with AC Traction of High Rise OHE.
The zonal railway further mentioned that this newly established connectivity will benefit in various aspects, such as elimination of undue detention on account of traction change, acceleration will be quicker, direct connectivity through AC Traction between Pipavav Port and Dedicated Freight Corridor as well as other major destinations. Also, this new initiative will help in minimizing the cost of fuel, provide an eco-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation. In the future, the movie is also expected to help in increasing the average speed of freight train services and result in seamless train operations. According to Western Railways, the new connectivity with Pipavav Port is the beginning of a new era for the zone as well as the Indian Railways network towards easy, smooth and quick transportation from ports in India.
With a goal of transforming the Indian Railways network into Green Railways by the year 2030, the national transporter has taken a slew of initiatives towards mitigation of global warming as well as combating climate change. Electrification of the rail network, improving the energy efficiency of trains and locomotives as well as fixed installations, green certification for installations or railway stations, installing bio-toilets, among others are parts of the national transporter’s strategy of achieving net zero carbon emission.
