CORE headquarters has Electrical, Signal and Telecommunications (S&T), Civil Engineering, Stores, Personnel, Vigilance and Finance departments headed by Chief Project Directors.
Indian Railways had electrified 64,244 route kilometres (rkm) which is 96.73% of the total broad gauge network of Indian Railways (66,413 rkm, including Konkan Railway) by 1 October 2024.[2] Indian Railway aimed to electrify all of its broad gauge network by March 2024[needs update]. The entire electrified mainline rail network in India uses 25 kV AC; DC is used only for metros and trams.
The electrification of the Howrah-Burdwan section of the Eastern Railway zone at 3000 V DC was completed in 1958. The first 3000 V DC EMU service began on the Howrah-Sheoraphuli section on 14 December 1957. The last section of 3000 V DC in India, from Howrah to Burdwan, was upgraded to 25 kV AC in 1968.[4]
25 kV AC
25 kV AC railway electrification emerged as an economical form of electrification as a result of research and trials in Europe, particularly on French Railways (SNCF). Indian Railways decided to adopt the 25 kV AC system of electrification as a standard in 1957, with SNCF as their consultant in the early stages, later taken over by the "50 c/s Group". The joint venture was founded in 1954 by several European railway manufacturers and was dedicated to the development and construction of locomotives powered by 50 Hz alternating current. It arranged the supply contracts for the WAM-1, WAG-1 and WAG-3 locomotives and their spare parts.[citation needed]
The first section electrified with the 25 kV AC system was Raj Kharswan–Dongoaposi, on the South Eastern Railway zone, and the first electric train ran on 15 December 1959. The first 25 kV AC EMUs, for Kolkata suburban service, was introduced in September 1962.[citation needed]
Organisation
The electrification office was established in Kolkata as the Project Office for Railway Electrification (PORE) in 1951 when electrification of the Howrah–Burdwan section of the Eastern Railway began. A general manager headed the Railway Electrification Organisation, established in Kolkata in 1959. In 1961, the Northern Railway zone electrification office (headed by an engineer-in-chief) was established in Allahabad for the electrification of the Mughalsarai–New Delhi section. Following the 1978 J. Raj Committee report, several electrification projects were included and a railway-electrification headquarters was established. Since most of the electrification projects were in Central India and South India, the electrification headquarters was established in Nagpur under an additional general manager from 1982 to 1984. The headquarters was moved to Allahabad under the additional general manager in January 1985 and was renamed Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE). A general manager was appointed in July 1987.[citation needed]
Electrification progress
Trend of Railway Electrification Commissioning in India[2][5]
Period
Newly electrified (rkm)
Cumulative (rkm)
whole period
annualised
1925–1947
388
18
388
1947–1951
0
0
388
1951–1956
141
28
529
1956–1961
216
43
745
1961–1966
1,678
336
2,423
1966–1969
814
271
3,237
1969–1974
953
191
4,190
1974–1978
533
133
4,723
1978–1980
195
65
4,918
1980–1985
1,522
304
6,440
1985–1990
2,812
562
9,252
1990–1992
1,557
519
10,809
1992–1997
2,708
542
13,517
1997–2002
2,484
621
16,001
2002–2007
1,810
362
17,811
2007–2008
502 −168
334
18,145
2008–2009
797
797
18,942
2009–2010
1,117
1,117
20,059
2010–2014
741
185
21,801
2014–2015
1,176
1,176
22,997
2015–2016
1,502
1,502
24,479
2016–2017
1,646
1,646
26,125
2017–2018
4,087
4,087
30,212
2018–2019
5,276
5,276
35,488
2019–2020
4,378
4,378
39,866
2020–2021
6,015
6,015
45,881
2021–2022
6,366
6,366
52,247
2022–2023
6,565
6,565
58,812
2023–2024
4,644
4,644
63,456
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Status
Electrified network by state (broad gauge only) as of 1 October 2024[2]
To reduce maintenance costs and improve the reliability of power supply systems, CORE has adopted state-of-the-art technology: cast resin transformers, SF6 circuit breakers or vacuum switchgear, long-creepage solid-core insulators and PTFE-neutral sections. Eight-wheeled, self-propelled OHE inspection cars have been introduced to improve maintenance, and an OHE recording car has been requested to monitor the performance of overhead equipment.[citation needed]
SCADA
The 220-132-25 kV power-supply network for electrification extends along the track for about 200 to 300 kilometres (120 to 190 mi). It is remotely controlled from the division control centre to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the track overhead equipment. In electrification projects, a microprocessor-based supervisory control and data acquisitioncontrol system is replacing the earlier electro-mechanical Strowger system of remote-control equipment. SCADA can telemetervoltage, current, maximum demand and power factor in real-time, enabling control of maximum demand and electrical cost. The system also provides automatic troubleshooting and isolation of faulty sections.[citation needed]
Other organisations involved in electrification
Some electrification projects have been entrusted to other agencies like RVNL (2624 RKM), IRCON (170 RKM), PGCIL (597 RKM) and RITES (170 RKM) under the Ministry of Railways, and small electrification projects are carried out by zonal railways.[citation needed]
