India's conventional railway network largest in the world

Hyderabad: The railways consume only two per cent of the energy of the entire transport sector worldwide, while transporting eight per cent of global passenger traffic and seven per cent of goods, according to a recent report.

‘The Future of Rail’, released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Union of Railways, suggests that investment in railways would lead to effective energy consumption and accessible transport for the masses.

The report mentions that India is among the countries having the most conventional rail network as of now. The other countries are North America, Europe, China, Russia, and Japan. These regions account for about 90 per cent of global passenger movement on conventional rail with India leading at 39 per cent, followed by China at 27 per cent, Japan at 11 per cent and the European Union at 9 per cent.

The conventional rail system in India has a total route length of almost 68,000 km, shared by passenger and freight transport. Metro systems exist in 10 Indian cities, with about 515 km of track in operation and an additional 620 km of metro rail under construction. A further 600 km of metro lines are planned in the upcoming years.

Significant investments have been made in high-speed rail and metros rather than in conventional rail. High-speed rail provides an important alternative to aviation, while urban rail provides a solution to cities impacted by congestion and air pollution. Rail passenger traffic in India has increased by almost 200 per cent since 2000 and freight traffic by 150 per cent, yet latent demand for mobility in India remains huge. For example, on average, each Indian travels about three kilometres per day by privately owned road vehicle, compared to 17.5 km in Europe.

It shows that higher investments in electrifying railway networks could significantly reduce polluting carbon dioxide emissions from transport while providing access to efficient and sustainable transport for all. Expanding rail transport in growing urban centres would also increase reliability, reduce congestion and noise pollution, and improve local air quality. “The rail sector can provide substantial benefits for the energy sector as well as for the environment. By diversifying energy sources and providing more efficient mobility, rail can lower transport energy use and reduce COs and local pollutant emissions,” said IEA executive director, Dr Fatih Birol.

The report has also revealed that the rail network is set to grow more in India than in any other country, with passenger movement in India reaching 40 per cent of global activity. Activity in India is already among the highest in the world, being second only to China for passenger movement and fourth for freight movement. Rail passengers in India travel 1.2 trillion km, more than the distance travelled by cars.