Indian Railways is 99.6% electrified, but diesel isn’t going away (opens the source in a new tab)
- About 69,873 of 70,142 broad-gauge route km were electrified by March 2026, up from 18,927 km in 2009-10.
- Traction diesel fell from 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25, about 63%; the ministry puts electrification savings at around ₹6,000 crore.
- Diesel stays for grid failures, shunting, hill and narrow-gauge lines and new Northeast routes; 100 new diesel locos were commissioned in each of 2022-23 and 2023-24.
- 4,296
- diesel locos, Mar 2025
- 63%
- less traction diesel
Why it matters Every litre of diesel not burned cuts India’s exposure to imported crude.
Other side Amit Shah says railway diesel use will reach zero by 2030, yet 200 new diesel locos joined in two years and the new LNG train still runs partly on diesel. Sensible backup, or a long tail?
Source:India Today (free to read) ↗