CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Railways has proposed plans to electrify all of the broad-gauge routes by December 2023.

Detailed explanation-2: -Electrification was introduced on IR in 1925 with 1500 Volts DC and subsequently, extended by installing 3000 Volts DC system. 388 route Kms. had been electrified by the year 1936.

Detailed explanation-3: -In the 1850s, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway adopted the gauge of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) for the first passenger railway in India between Bori Bunder and Thane. This was then adopted as the standard for the nationwide network. Indian Railways today predominantly operates on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.

Detailed explanation-4: -Key points. At present, out of the 18 zonal railways in the country, four zones - East Coast Railway Bhubaneswar, Eastern Railway, West Central Railway and South Eastern Railway - were the only zones that were fully electrified. Now the North Central Railway has also joined it.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Indian Railways has set a target to become world’s largest ‘Green Railways’ with Zero Carbon Emission by 2030. In 2022-23, a total of 1,973 route km (2,647 TKM) has been electrified. This is 41 per cent higher as compared to previous year.