North Central Railway Achieves Historic Milestone in Energy Efficiency and Diesel Savings
Electrification has been completed across all three divisions of the NCR: Prayagraj Division (1,210 route km), Jhansi Division (1,354 route km), and Agra Division (730 route km). While the first electrified section in the NCR was Kanpur-Panki in 1965, the zone has now established itself as a leader in full electrification and energy efficiency.
Prayagraj, 8 September 2025: North Central Railway Achieves Historic Milestone in Energy Efficiency and Diesel Savings. Some notable key achievements:
•Five lakh tons of carbon emissions prevented by using 490 electric locomotives.
•An annual savings of seven crore liters of diesel due to electric engines.
•3,260 kiloliters of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) saved through the use of Head-on Generation (HOG) technology.
•Produced a total of 11.87 million units of electricity from solar power plants.
The North Central Railway (NCR) has achieved 100% electrification across its nearly 3,294 km rail network. This has allowed for almost all operations on these routes to be run by electric locomotives, resulting in an annual saving of seven crore liters of diesel. The use of 490 electric engines has also prevented approximately five lakh tons of carbon emissions from diesel locomotives. This not only protects the environment but also improves train punctuality.
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Electrification has been completed across all three divisions of the NCR: Prayagraj Division (1,210 route km), Jhansi Division (1,354 route km), and Agra Division (730 route km). While the first electrified section in the NCR was Kanpur-Panki in 1965, the zone has now established itself as a leader in full electrification and energy efficiency.
Head-on Generation (HOG) System Reduces Diesel Consumption
In a significant step towards environmental conservation, the NCR has installed the Head-on Generation (HOG) system on the electric engines of 142 trains. This system provides power directly to the coaches, eliminating the need for separate diesel-powered generator cars.
During the financial year 2025-26, up to July 2025, this initiative saved 3,260 kiloliters of High-Speed Diesel (HSD), leading to both financial savings for the railway and a reduction of over 2,000 tons of carbon emissions.
By reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, the North Central Railway is actively contributing to Indian Railways' goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The modern HOG system allows LHB coaches to draw their power directly from the overhead electric lines via the locomotive, significantly minimizing the need for diesel-based power cars.
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The North Central Railway has installed solar power plants with a total capacity of 12.7 MW, which generated 11.87 million units of electricity in the financial year 2024-25. This not only reduces reliance on conventional energy sources but also encourages the installation of more solar plants. This electricity generation resulted in a savings of ₹5.34 crore for the railway, thus making a significant reduction in carbon emissions in the last financial year.
Continuing this effort, the NCR is working to install an additional 18 MW of solar power plants, which will bring the total installed solar capacity to over 30 MW. This work is expected to be completed in the coming year.
Energy Efficiency Certification for Service Buildings
The North Central Railway is also taking proactive steps to make its service buildings energy efficient and certified. In 2024-25, 10 service buildings received zero/zero-plus certification from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and this year, the NCR has initiated the process to get an additional 15 buildings certified.
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