Chennai Central Station is now 100% solar powered

27 Sep 2021 CW Team

The Puratchi Thalaivar M G Ramachandran Central or Chennai Central railway station, under the South Central Railway (SCR), has achieved the 100% day energy needs by solar panels established on the platform shelters of the station.

SCR is the first on Indian Railways to come up with the idea of ‘Energy Neutral’ railway stations, able to meet 100% energy requirements by drawing natural solar power via Solar PhotoVoltaic (SPV) panels installed on about 13 station buildings.

Solar power panels have been established at several locations and railway stations like Chennai Central, MMC complex, Katpadi, Tambaram, Mambalam, Guindy and Chengalpattu suburban stations, and various other railway offices. All the power requirements of 13 stations such as lighting, fans, pumps and other electrical devices are fulfilled through the solar power produced and this is decreasing the net traditional energy usage at these stations to zero.

With a focus on providing renewable energy through windmills, Windmill Plants have been installed at Kayathar (near Gangai Kondan/Kadambur Railway stations) in Tuticorin district under Madurai division of Southern Railway, a Southern Railway release declared. Additionally, it said that the total capacity of Wind Mill plants in Southern Railway is 10.5 MW.

Notifying that Southern Railway has attained a savings of Rs 16.64 crore from renewable energy sources during 2019-20, the release said that the railway is committed to fast-tracking its renewable energy projects with a vision to reduce power costs and help the country’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Image Source

Also read: Western Railway runs first electric train from Pipavav on High Rise OHE

Infrastructure Transport

17 Sep 2025

L&T Bags Rs 25–50 Bn Order for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Track Works

Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Transportation Infrastructure business has secured an order valued between Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 billion from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.The contract, Package T1, involves the design, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of 156 route km of high-speed ballastless track on a Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis. The stretch runs from Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex to Zaroli village in Gujarat and includes 21 km of underground track and 135 km of elevated viaduct.Se..

Govt Plans Six-Month Import Relief for E-Bus, Truck Makers

The government is considering a six-month relaxation for electric bus and truck manufacturers, allowing them to import fully assembled motors containing heavy rare earth materials without losing eligibility for incentives under the Rs 109-billion PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-Drive) scheme.The relief is expected to benefit companies such as Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, PMI Electro Mobility, JBM Auto, EKA Mobility, Olectra Greentech, Propel, and IPLT Demo. The exemption will apply provided all other localisation requirements are met.However, officials clari..

Biocon Foundation Builds New School for 250 Students

Biocon Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Biocon Group, has initiated the construction of a new building for the Government High School in Kodamballi, Channapatna Taluk, Karnataka. The school currently serves more than 250 children from 23 surrounding villages.The groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by Dr C N Manjunath, Honourable Member of Parliament, Bengaluru Rural Constituency; CP Yogeshwara, MLA, Channapatna Constituency; and Yeshwanth V Gurukar, IAS, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate, Bengaluru South. They were joined by Dr Anupama Shetty, Mission Di..