Title - Impact of Grid Failure on Railways

Ministry of Railways--23-August, 2012 17:02 IST
Impact of Grid Failure on Railways
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Due to electricity grid failures on 30th & 31st July 2012, more than 1000 Mail/Express/Passenger trains and freight trains were affected on Indian Railways. Indian Railways is exploring the option of dedicated transmission line network from its captive power plant to Railways traction network to minimize the impact of grid failure. Further efforts are made to restore the power supply in the least possible time by close coordination with Load Dispatch centres and State Power Utilities for early restoration of Railways feeder lines, extending the power feed from Railway traction sub-station to adjoining sub-station.

Indian Railways has decided to set up its own captive power plants. Indian Railways is setting up its first coal based captive power plant of 1000 MW capacity at Nabinagar in Bihar in Joint Venture with NTPC. One more coal based captive power plant of 1320 MW capacity has been planned to be set up at Adra, West Bengal in Joint Venture with NTPC. Indian Railways has also planned to set up one gas based plant of 700 MW capacity at Thakurli in Maharashtra.

Total electricity consumed by Indian Railways for traction and non-traction purposes for 2011-12 was 16,647 million units (provisional). No power is presently being generated from Railways’ own power plant as the first captive power plant at Nabinagar is under construction.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri K. H. Muniyappa in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.