New Delhi, July 28 — In a significant step towards strengthening railway infrastructure and enhancing network capacity, Indian Railways has sanctioned the upgradation of the electric traction system on the Parbhani-Mudkhed double line section in Nanded division of South Central Railway, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday.
The project, which also includes associated power supply installation works, has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 163 crore, converting the existing 1x25 kV electric traction system to a more advanced 2x25 kV system over a stretch of 164 track kilometres, supported by upgraded power supply infrastructure to meet the enhanced electrical load, the statement said.
The Parbhani-Mudkhed section forms part of the strategically important Highly Utilised Network (HUN) Route-9, connecting Ajmer-Indore-Khandwa-Akola-Purna-Mudkhed-Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar-Dhone.
The upgraded traction system will strengthen power supply for train operations, enabling the section to handle higher freight volumes and support the running of Vande Bharat Express trains. It will also contribute to Indian Railways' goal of achieving 3,000 million tonnes of freight loading by 2029-30, the statement said.
The project is part of the continuing efforts of Indian Railways to modernise electrical infrastructure and improve operational efficiency on high-density corridors across the country.
The country has emerged as the global leader with the largest electrified railway network in the world. With 99.6 per cent electrification of the country’s broad gauge track network, India is second only to Switzerland which has 100 per cent railway electrification, but the network is much smaller, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha earlier this month.
India’s railway network electrification is ahead of China (82 per cent), Spain 67 (per cent), Japan (64 per cent), France (60 per cent) the United Kingdom (39 per cent).
Indian Railways has undertaken one of the fastest railway electrification programmes in the world.
Electrification of the track network on Indian Railways has been taken up in mission mode with a massive 48,072 route km being electrified between 2014-2026. This represents a sharp acceleration compared to the 21,801 route km that was electrified in the 60 years before this period, the minister stated.