Konkan Railway has accomplished 100 per cent rail electrification of its entire stretch.
The foundation stone for the electrification of the entire 741 km route work was laid in November 2015, and the total cost is Rs 1,287 crore.
According to the ministry, the electrification project has been challenging due to the difficult terrain of the Konkan Railway and the non-conducive atmosphere due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Moreover, due to the extreme monsoon in the Konkan region, special arrangements had to be made at many locations to keep the electrification mission going non-stop.
The numerous inherent benefits of electric traction include significant savings in fuel expenditure, i.e. more than Rs 150 crore, seamless operation of electric traction on the west coast, pollution-free mode of transportation and reduced dependence on HSD oil.
Konkan Railway is one of the biggest railway routes on the Indian Railway network, the train operations with electric traction will be implemented on the newly electrified KR route in a phased manner.
Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) is a joint venture of Indian Railways with Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
KRCL, with its headquarters at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, operates Konkan Railway.
The Konkan is a coastal strip of land in peninsular India bounded by the Sahyadri hills on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.