Indian Railways plans to replace fossil fuel fleet with electric fleet by 2025

Tags: National Economy/Finance Science and Technology

In  a big boost to the Centre’s ambitious plan to make India a 100% electric vehicle nation by 2030, the Indian Railways has proposed  to replace its entire fleet of vehicles that run on diesel, biofuels or even natural gas with electric vehicles by December 2025.

To achieve the ambitious target of 2030 the country needs to set up 46,000 EV charging stations by 2030 to match the global benchmark. 

Phase wise target of Railways 

According to the timeline proposed by the railways, it aims to achieve the target of installing EV-charging stations and phasing out 20% of its fleet by December 2023, 60% by 2024 and 100% by 2025. 

The replacement of inspection vehicles in divisional offices and attached units would not be mandatory in the initial phase of three years since the vehicles would be required by officials for frequent visits to far-flung areas where adequate charging infrastructure may not be available. 

The railways will also create an affordable and accessible charging infrastructure for users, including passengers, visitors and the general public, on its premises.