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Indian Railways Hits 99.6% Broad Gauge Electrification, Second Only to Switzerland — UPSC Current Affairs 2026

Economy23 Jul 2026

Indian Railways Hits 99.6% Broad Gauge Electrification, Second Only to Switzerland

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1
Indian Railways has electrified 99.6 per cent of its broad gauge network, ranking second worldwide behind Switzerland.
2
Of 70,271 route kilometres, 70,002 are now on electric traction, leaving only 269 route km pending.
3
Between 2014 and 2026 India electrified 48,072 route km, against 21,801 route km in the roughly six decades before that.
4
Diesel use for traction fell from 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25.
5
Railways has commissioned about 1,161 MW of solar and 103 MW of wind capacity as of June 2026.

●Achievement: 99.6 per cent of the broad gauge network electrified.
●Global rank: second, behind Switzerland at 100 per cent.
●Progress: 70,002 of 70,271 route km electrified; 269 route km left.
●Since 2014: 48,072 route km electrified, versus 21,801 route km in the previous six decades.
●Diesel for traction: down from 293 crore litres (2015-16) to 108 crore litres (2024-25).
●Renewables: about 1,161 MW solar and 103 MW wind as of June 2026.

Country	Share of network electrified
Switzerland	100%
India	99.6%
China	82%
Spain	67%
Japan	64%
France	60%
Britain	39%

Electrified route km

70,002 of 70,271

Pending

269 route km

Electrified 2014-2026

48,072 route km

Electrified before 2014

21,801 route km in about 60 years

Diesel saved

185 crore litres a year, comparing 2015-16 with 2024-25

Rail vs road emissions

11.5 g CO2 per tonne-km by rail against 101 g by road (NITI Aayog)

Electrification changes what the railway runs on, moving traction from imported diesel to grid electricity that India can increasingly generate from renewables. That has three consequences an exam is likely to probe. It cuts the oil import bill and improves energy security. It lowers emissions sharply, since moving a tonne of freight one kilometre by rail releases roughly 11.5 grams of carbon dioxide against about 101 grams by road — close to 89 per cent less. And it makes the railway's own net-zero ambition reachable, because an electrified network powered by solar and wind can decarbonise in a way a diesel fleet never could.

●India: 99.6 per cent broad gauge electrification, second to Switzerland
●70,002 of 70,271 route km done; 269 km pending
●48,072 route km electrified between 2014 and 2026
●Diesel down from 293 to 108 crore litres a year
●Rail emits about 11.5 g CO2 per tonne-km; road about 101 g

Exam Relevance

railway

General Awareness > Indian Railways

upsc

GS Paper 3 > Infrastructure and Environment

ssc

General Awareness > Economy and Infrastructure

banking

General Awareness > Economy

Previously Asked (PYQs)

UPSC Prelims 2017

With reference to 'National Investment and Infrastructure Fund', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is an organ of NITI Aayog. 2. It has a corpus of ₹4,00,000 crore at present. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer: Neither 1 nor 2

SSC CGL 2024

According to the Indian Railways (2019-2020), which state has the largest railway track in India?

Answer: Uttar Pradesh

Expected Questions

★Railway exams may ask: 'What percentage of India's broad gauge network is electrified?'
★UPSC may ask: 'With reference to railway electrification in India, consider the following statements...'

Key Terms

Broad gauge

The 1,676 mm track gauge that forms the bulk of India's railway network.

Route kilometre

The length of a rail route, counted once regardless of how many parallel tracks it carries.

Traction

The means of powering trains — diesel or electric.

priority_highMust Remember

•99.6 per cent broad gauge electrification; second globally after Switzerland
•269 route km still pending out of 70,271
•Rail is roughly 89 per cent less carbon-intensive than road for freight

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

•The figure applies to the BROAD GAUGE network, not the entire railway system. Statement-based questions exploit that distinction.

Question 1 of 2Score: 0/0

Factual

Which country has the world's most electrified railway network, ahead of India?

articleMore from 23 Jul 2026

Polity & Governance

Current Affairs Pulse

Indian Railways Hits 99.6% Broad Gauge Electrification, Second Only to Switzerland

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Exam Spotlight

Exam Relevance

Previously Asked (PYQs)

Expected Questions

Key Terms

priority_highMust Remember

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

Practice Quiz

Which country has the world's most electrified railway network, ahead of India?

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