CHENNAI: In an attempt to become the world’s largest green railways network, Chennai railway station, or Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M G Central (DRM), which comes under South Central Railway (SCR) will soon be powered by solar energy.
Chennai Railway station has bagged the position of the first Indian Railway station by meeting a target of 100%-day energy from solar panels, which have been installed on the platform shelters of the station. Ashwani Vaishnav, Minister of Railways, Government of India, informed that Chennai Central railway station has got solar panels with a capacity of 1.5 Megawatts and therefore, all energy needs will be met by these solar power panels. SCR is considered to be among the first division of the Indian Railways that has adopted the concept of ‘energy neutral’ railway stations. Besides this, solar panels have been installed at several other locations including Tambaram, Mambalam, Katpati, and others.
In a big leap towards becoming self-sufficient and moving towards India’s target of “net-zero carbon emissions” by the year 2030, the Indian Railways is ambitiously pushing towards the installation of solar-powered panels that will be contributing to environmental protection. In this regard, SCR has already set a foundation stone in the “Green Restart” goal. Moreover, these developments will lend green certifications to the stations that are successfully moving towards sustainable goals such as energy conservation and the use of renewable energy, etc.