The Hidden Cost of Greenwashing the Indian Railways

Context

• The Indian Railways, in pursuit of its ambitious Mission 100% Electrification, aims to modernise the country’s vast rail network by completely phasing out diesel traction.
• While the vision is positioned as a step towards reducing foreign exchange expenditure, environmental pollution, and transitioning to renewable energy, the practical outcomes of this mission raise significant concerns.
• Now it becomes imperative to explore the government’s push for hundred percent rail electrification, its implications, and the way forward to a sustainable solution.

Government’s Decision of Repurposing of Diesel Locomotives and Implications of this Policy Shifts

• Engineering Feat of Locomotive Conversion
  • The Indian Railways' decision to export used diesel locomotives after converting them for Cape Gauge usage reflects an impressive feat of engineering and innovation.
  • The conversion process involves significant technical challenges, including modifying locomotives originally designed for the 1,676 mm broad gauge to a much narrower 1,067 mm gauge.
  • This requires meticulous re-engineering, essentially dismantling and rebuilding the locomotives to suit operational requirements in African countries.
  • While this showcases the skill and expertise of Indian engineers and institutions like RITES Ltd., the underlying reason for such exports lies in the sweeping electrification policy that has rendered these locomotives redundant.
• Premature Redundancy of Diesel Locomotives
  • The policy shift towards 100% electrification, pursued in mission mode, is rooted in the government’s desire to modernise rail infrastructure, reduce dependency on imported diesel, and promote environmental sustainability.
  • However, this shift has come at the cost of prematurely retiring diesel locomotives, many of which remain in good working condition with substantial residual service life.
  • According to RTI data, as of March 2023, there were 585 diesel locomotives stabled, idling across the network due to the rapid expansion of electrification.
  • This figure has reportedly risen to 760 in 2024, with over 60% of these locomotives possessing more than 15 years of remaining service life.
  • Thus, valuable assets that could have continued to generate returns are instead being phased out or sent for export, leading to significant financial losses and resource wastage.
• The Environmental Paradox of Electrification
  • Furthermore, the export of these locomotives highlights the paradoxical outcomes of the electrification policy.
  • On the one hand, Indian Railways is eliminating domestic diesel traction in favour of electrification, presenting it as a green initiative.
  • On the other hand, the same locomotives, now deemed obsolete domestically, are being exported to other countries where they will continue to operate, albeit in a modified form.
  • This export does not eliminate the environmental impact of diesel locomotives; it merely transfers it to other regions.
• Overlooking Diesel Locomotives’ Strategic Value
  • Additionally, the rapid electrification drive has forced Indian Railways to overlook the versatility and utility of diesel locomotives.
  • Unlike electric locomotives, diesel locomotives are self-sufficient and do not rely on overhead electric wires, making them highly valuable in situations where infrastructure is inadequate or power supply is inconsistent.
  • This adaptability is especially critical during natural disasters, power outages, or in remote areas where electrification is not yet viable.
  • By aggressively sidelining diesel traction, Indian Railways risks compromising its operational flexibility and preparedness for emergencies.
• Missed Opportunities for Redeployment
  • The decision to export these locomotives also indicates a missed opportunity for redeployment within India.
  • Many smaller or regional routes, where traffic density is lower and full-scale electrification may not be economically justified, could continue to benefit from diesel traction.
  • Instead of strategically using these locomotives to optimise network performance, Indian Railways has prioritised electrification as a blanket solution, rendering such redeployment unlikely.

A Closer Scrutiny of Government’s Reasons for Rail Electrification

• Economic Viability of Electrification
  • The government justifies rail electrification on two primary grounds: reducing foreign exchange by cutting diesel imports and promoting environmental sustainability, however, these claims require closer scrutiny.
  • First, railway diesel consumption constitutes an insignificant share of India’s total diesel use.
  • According to a 2014 study by AC Nielsen, the transport sector accounted for 70% of diesel consumption, of which the railways contributed only 3.24%.
  • By 2021-22, this share had further reduced to around 2%. In contrast, trucks alone consumed 28% of the diesel supply, with agriculture accounting for 13.2%.
  • Thus, eliminating diesel traction in railways will achieve negligible reductions in national diesel consumption while ignoring larger sectors.
  • Second, the economic argument fails to account for the costs associated with premature electrification.
  • The substantial capital investment in building electric traction infrastructure and retiring usable diesel locomotives creates financial inefficiencies.
• Environmental Considerations: A Misleading Justification
  • The environmental justification for rail electrification appears equally tenuous.
  • While electrification reduces local emissions from diesel combustion, it does not address the source of the electricity itself.
  • India’s electricity generation is still heavily dependent on coal, which accounts for nearly 50% of the total energy mix.
  • The Indian Railways plays a crucial role in transporting coal to thermal plants, with 40% of its freight earnings generated by this activity alone.
  • Replacing diesel locomotives with electric ones shifts pollution from railway tracks to coal-fired power plants.
  • Electric locomotives, powered by coal-based electricity, perpetuate a carbon-intensive cycle: more coal transported to generate electricity, which then powers the locomotives.
  • Until India achieves a cleaner energy mix, where 80% of power is derived from non-fossil fuels, the claim of achieving a Green Railway remains unrealistic.
  • The environmental benefits of electrification, therefore, are a superficial narrative that ignores systemic dependencies on coal.

Policy Implications of Push for 100% Rail Electrification

• The aggressive push for rail electrification epitomises the risks of policy-making driven by headline-grabbing slogans rather than pragmatic planning.
• The sheer scale of wastage, locomotives stretching over 16 kms if lined end-to-end reflects inefficient use of public resources.
• Costly, functional assets are discarded in favour of an unbalanced modernisation agenda, ultimately burdening taxpayers.
• Moreover, the policy undermines the Railways’ role as a lifeline for India’s economy.

Way Forward: A Balanced Approach

• Instead of carefully balancing electrification with existing diesel assets, the government has pursued a one-size-fits-all approach, disregarding regional and operational requirements.
• The resulting dichotomy, retaining diesel locomotives while claiming a green transition, demonstrates a lack of coherence in execution.
• A more balanced approach would involve phased electrification, improved asset management, and investments in cleaner energy generation.
• For the Railways to become genuinely green, systemic changes are needed beyond electrification, changes that address the foundational issues of energy production, resource utilisation, and operational sustainability.

Conclusion

• The Indian Railways’ Mission 100% Electrification is a case study of overzealous policy-making driven by ambitious, but impractical goals.
• While reducing diesel imports and emissions are commendable objectives, the realities of India’s energy mix and the marginal contribution of railways to diesel consumption undermine the rationale.
• The policy’s environmental claims are premature, and its economic implications are wasteful, as functional diesel assets are abandoned without a clear strategy for their use.

Q) What is the main contradiction in Indian Railways' Mission 100% Electrification as highlighted in the analysis?

The main contradiction is that while Indian Railways aims to eliminate diesel locomotives to become a "green" railway, it continues to retain thousands of diesel locomotives for "disaster management" and exports others to countries where they will still operate. This undermines the environmental claims and shifts the pollution to other regions.

Q) Why is the repurposing of diesel locomotives seen as a reactive measure?

The repurposing of diesel locomotives is seen as reactive because it addresses the redundancy of these assets only after their premature sidelining. Instead of proactively redeploying them within India on low-density routes or for emergencies, the locomotives are exported, highlighting inefficiencies in asset management and policy planning.

Source:The Hindu