Western Railways pushes Green Corridor project at Ekta Rly Station

The Western Railways is pushing a Green Corridor project at Ekta Railways station in Gujarat. To give seamless connectivity to people visiting the 182-metre Statue of Unity (SOU), the Railways is constructing the entire six to seven km distance from the station to the SOU in Narmada district into a green corridor. As a part of the green corridor project, Railways has launched many initiatives, including leasing electric vehicles (EV), installing EV charging stations and parking lots. The Railways has already invited bids to set up the EV charging points, and the closing date is February 28. Purushottam Kumar, Divisional Commercial Manager of the Vadodara division, told the media that the private firm would install 51 EV charging stations and ply their electric vehicles. A private entity would also handle the parking space of the station, which is nearly 10,500 sq ft. The contract's tenure would be five years, and it would generate a revenue of Rs 1827 lacs per annum (LPA). Sumit Thakur, the Chief Spokesperson of Western Railway, informed that these types of projects reduce the working cost of Railways, but are good for the environment as well. As per the Railways, the station has LED lights and star-rated electrical devices to save electricity. It also includes water management arrangements via rainwater harvesting, a sewage treatment plant, eco-waterless urinals and drip irrigation. The green waste separated at the source would be reused to produce fertiliser and reduce waste. The Indian Railways, in terms of size, is the fourth largest railway network in the world.It has begun a multi-pronged strategy to go green and decarbonise-from expanding its sourcing of renewable energy (RE) to electrifying its traction network and decreasing its power consumption. According to media reports, By 2030, Railways has set a goal to become the first net-zero emission railway globally. If that goal is achieved, it could lead to a yearly emission decrease of nearly 15 million tonnes of CO2. It could also help reach the 5% Nationally Determined Contributions target of India and contribute to Rs 17,000 crore in fuel costs and other savings every year. The Ministry has set up solar panels at more than 960 stations and is using solar power to fulfill the energy requirements of railway stations. For 198 MW of solar panels that need to be installed on 550 railway stations rooftops, has also received bids. The Railways is also making rapid advancement in becoming the world's first green railways, including a tentative goal of achieving 100% electrification of broad-gauge routes by December 2023. Image Source Also read: Western Railway plans to remodel Bandra Terminus connectivity