The conference offered a platform for knowledge exchange and hosted thought-provoking addresses, presentations and panel discussions with dignitaries from railways, concerned government departments, private companies and allied sectors.
Clean power ambitions
Explaining the current situation of India’s carbon emissions, Mr Abhay Bakre, Mission Director – National Green Hydrogen Mission, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, informed that currently India’s total carbon emissions are to the tune of 3,000 million tonnes, of which the share of railways is about 25–30 million tonnes. It is projected to rise to 45 million tonnes by 2030. Shedding light on India’s decarbonisation efforts and emphasising the importance of clean fuel and sustainable transportation, he expressed: “Green hydrogen holds immense potential to decarbonise key industries. In future, we will have facilities to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia across various sites in India, but railways can catalyse a green supply chain by transporting hydrogen and ammonia, provided infrastructure upgrades and policies are aligned for the same. Railways is also in the process of launching a hydrogen-powered train that could add on to more greening.”
Underlining the railway's efforts towards greening, Mr Manu Srivastava, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, spoke about the state's contribution to railway electrification. Speaking at the conference, he explained how better restructuring helped the state of Madhya Pradesh to provide electricity at under INR 3 per unit to later INR 2.15 per unit - the lowest rates for sourcing electricity. Looking at project management, the government developed and released guidelines for solar projects based on the implementation of the Madhya Pradesh model. A case study on the project has also been done by the World Bank and Harvard University. He said: “Madhya Pradesh has been playing its role by setting up a 750MW solar project in Rewa which supplies power to New Delhi Metro. Around 65% of the energy demand during the day-time is met by this project. Next, we have set up a 1,500 MW solar project at Agar, Shajapur and Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, of which 1,200 MW is operational and one-fourth of the power from this is supplied to railways across nine states.”
Taking renewable energy ambitions to the next level, Dr Jaideep Gupta, Additional Member–Railway Electrification, Ministry of Railways, shared transformative developments in clean energy integration. He disclosed: “Indian Railways is keen to leverage nuclear power through compact captive power plants to meet its clean energy goals and in the Union Budget 2025 INR 20,000 crore has been allocated to this development. Solar and wind remain integral parts of the power transition plan, but nuclear can offer stability in the energy mix.”
Mr Rajeev Singh Thakur, Programme Director, NITI Aayog, spoke about PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and the change it brought: “Gati Shakti is an integration of 8–9 ministries in a network planning group. Many requests come from road and rail segments as they require huge investments. The older process caused delays leading to a surge in project cost. However, today ministries and departments have come together and the approvals have gained speed. In future, private sector integration is also on the charts.”
Providing a comprehensive overview of Indian Railways’ progress, Mr Rupesh Kohli, Executive Director-Testing, Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO), revealed the fact file on Indian Railway's progress. Here are a few highlights:
- 96.83% of broad-gauge networks electrified, twice the global average
- 3,000 km of Dedicated Freight Corridors near completion
- 14,000 km of new track laid and 18,000 km of renewals in three years
- 1,300+ stations upgraded under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
- Over 1 lakh wagons and 20,000 LHB coaches inducted
- Vande Bharat, Namo Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains in operation
- Kavach system, a made-in-India train collision avoidance technology, being implemented across 44,000 km
- Hydrogen-powered train trials to commence soon
- Dual-purpose Cargo liner coaches to carry freight and passengers together are being developed
- The state-of-the-art testing facility being set up in Jodhpur meets international safety standards
In a compelling keynote address, Mr Harj Dhaliwal, Chief Business Officer & Capital Programmes Officer, Nevomo, spoke about the future of railways. He delved into how retrofitting magnetic propulsion on the existing rolling stock can benefit the rail network and port-based rails in slashing carbon footprint and improving efficiency. He explained this through the Middle-Eastern model which India can adopt.
Further enriching the platform, Prof. Dr Jitesh J Thakkar, Dean of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, elaborated on the university’s academic programs across railways, transport, logistics, defence, ports and AI-driven systems — geared to empower future-ready professionals. He also explained the industry-academia integration throughout the course duration that helps to pre-skill the incumbents from both streams - regular students and working professionals.
Ms Mona Srivastava, Chief Engineer Construction, Northern Railways, lauded the conference for providing “A unique platform to connect diverse domains including waste management, greening, innovation, power and asset optimisation.”
Other prominent participants included: Mr Anant Kumar, Deputy Chief Engineer, Western Railways; Mr Shobhit Bhatnagar, Director – OP & BD, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited; Dr A K Goel, Scientist ‘G’, Defence Research & Development Establishment; Mr Mohd. Tanveer Khan, Director, Gati Shakti (Construction), Railway Board and Mr Vivek Garg, Managing Director – Services, Alstom India among many others.
The Rail India Conference & Expo 2024 not only reinforced the strategic importance of railways in driving India’s economic growth but also showcased the commitment of connected stakeholders toward a greener, safer and more efficient railway network.
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