If we hadn’t progressed and were still a part of the steam locomotive era, the world would have known just one colour - black. Thankfully it isn’t true and we are living in a vibrant rainbow world.
But, for how long?
The demand for energy is increasing by the day. To meet industrial requirements, we are taking more than we can ever give back to nature. Various hazardous gases are being leaked into the earth’s atmosphere daily. As a result, climate is changing and these irreparable damages are pushing us towards threats like widespread drought, floods and rising sea levels.
Every year, countries renew their vows to save the planet. At home, the Indian Railways – which has the maximum energy consumption – is doing its bit too. Rail is 2.5 to 4 times more fuel efficient compared to road transport. That makes rail more carbon efficient compared to road transport.
The Indian Railways moves more than 1000 million tonnes of freight annually, making it one of the busiest rail networks in the world. Moreover, it transported a staggering 8,224 million passengers in 2011-12. Imagine its giant belly! One can say this needs to expand over the coming years to make it comparable with US and China that carry more than thrice the cargo carried by Indian Railways
India is the fourth biggest polluter which released about 2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2012, as against the world’s biggest emitter of climate-changing gases China that released 9.9 billion tonnes the same year. Moving more cargo from road to rail is one of the solutions to reducing carbon footprint.
While China is contemplating countermeasures, the Indian Railways is working on long-term energy efficiency and conservation programmes, with some already underway.
Mumbai’s new suburban trains come with regenerative braking features that save up to 35-40 per cent energy.
The Indian railways is planning to upgrade the system with dedicated freight trains and high-speed corridors - both have the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions considerably. Besides, the department is expected to save at least 10 per cent energy using solar power and biomass. The distribution of approximately 14 lakh CFLs to railway households will further reduce 0.1 million tonne of carbon dioxide emission.The aforementioned projects are promising and the Indian Railways is also conceptualising increasing efficiency in traction and non-traction systems to save up to 15 per cent energy. The traction system currently accounts for 87 per cent energy.
Looking globally, the blazing train service that connects London with Paris and Brussels, Eurostar, boasts of significant reduction in every traveller’s carbon footprint when compared with airplane levels for the same distance.
Going forward, Indian Railways needs a centre of excellence in energy efficiency to strengthen its institutional framework. This will enhance the capacity to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Development of institutions that support technical brainstorming and provide training is required to facilitate adoption and implementation of energy-efficient technologies. Sharing knowledge is the stepping stone and raising environmental awareness amongst the railway staff is imperative. If people are not sensitive towards the issue, nothing can drive them to implement energy-efficient technologies.Also, one of the most critical aspects missing in Indian railways is that there are no emission standards for locomotives. As there is no regulatory body to look over the emissions, the result is that much of the locomotives still in use are not the best when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the West, and especially in Europe, railroad operators need to adhere to certain emission standards, and this automatically results lower carbon footprint. It is high time Indian Railways too, looked at formulating, and adhering to these emission targets.
And while we are on the subject of locomotives, there is also a need to upgrade locomotives in India to more fuel efficient technologies. Take the case of GE's Evolution Series Locomotives that bring in higher efficiency at lesser emissions. Going in for such locos can drastically help cut the carbon emissions of Indian railways.
To know more about GE Transportation, click here
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