CR to use electricity generated to run trains, expects to save nearly Rs 107 crore annually
The CR has also planned rooftop solar power plants for additional savings
The Central Railway is set to harness the power of the sun. Veggie farms along the rail tracks will now be passé and one will soon see solar panels along acres of empty land along rail tracks.
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In a major shift in policy, the Central Railway on Wednesday decided to use empty rail land to set up solar panels instead of vegetable farms unlike it was done before. The policy is not only expected to prevent encroachment but also yield savings of R107 crore in power bills. "Central Railway has identified vacant trackside stretches and unutilised land parcels to set up land-based solar power panels with a capacity of 109 MWp (Mega Watt peak), which is used to run trains. These solar panels are expected to generate 143 million units of energy per year," a senior official said.
The official added that this will save R43 crore in energy bills per annum. "Similarly, for non-traction purposes, vacant land parcels have been identified where solar power plants of aggregate 71 MWp capacity have been planned. These will generate 93 million units of energy per year and yield a saving of R64 cr per annum. Thus, the total savings in energy bills per annum will be around R107 cr," he said.
Also Read: Watch video: Alert constable saves passenger from slipping into platform gap at Kalyan station
143mn
No. of energy units solar panels along the tracks could generate
Karnavati Exp scare
In a scare for passengers, the second and third coaches of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Karnavati Express train uncoupled between Vadodara-Vishwamitri stations at 6.50 am on Wednesday. On examination, it was found that the centre buffer coupler had got detached. The technical staff escorted the train.
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