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Southern Railway achieved 100% electrification of its 5,068-route-km broad gauge network on 9 September 2026.
The last section, the 71-km Pattukkottai-Karaikkudi line in Tamil Nadu, cleared statutory inspection that day by Principal Chief Electrical Engineer Ganesh.
Trains across the zone's broad gauge network can now run on 25 kV AC electric traction without changing between diesel and electric locomotives.
The milestone closes a 95-year journey that began when electric traction came to Madras on 11 May 1931.
The metre-gauge Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, keeps steam and heritage diesel traction because electrifying it is technically unfeasible.
India's first electric train runs between Bombay VT and Kurla
Electric traction introduced in Madras - the second city after Bombay
Southern Railway formed as the first zone of Indian Railways
Nilgiri Mountain Railway added to UNESCO's 'Mountain Railways of India' World Heritage listing
Pattukkottai-Karaikkudi inspection completes 100% BG electrification of Southern Railway
One of the zones of Indian Railways, covering Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka; divisions: Chennai, Tiruchchirappalli, Madurai, Salem, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram
Runs Indian Railways and drives Mission 100% Electrification
The final section runs from Pattukkottai in Thanjavur district to Karaikkudi in Sivaganga district, through Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta and Chettinad region. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway links Mettupalayam and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in the Nilgiris.
Electrify the entire broad gauge network of Indian Railways
Key: About 99.2% of the BG network electrified by November 2025; cuts diesel use and traction-change delays
General Awareness > Indian Railways - zones, electrification, heritage railways
General Awareness > National current affairs, transport
Who is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (as of 2024)?
Answer: M.K. Stalin
Who was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as of July 2023?
Answer: M.K. Stalin
What is the Official Language of the state of Tamil Nadu?
Answer: Tamil
What is the Official Language of the state of Tamil Nadu?
Answer: Tamil
Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?
Answer: Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Length of the railway route regardless of the number of parallel tracks on it
Overhead wires and supports that feed power to electric locomotives
Swapping a diesel locomotive for an electric one (or vice versa) where electrification begins or ends