The hum of electric locomotives is rapidly replacing the roar of diesel engines across the vast expanse of India’s railway network. We stand today at a moment when Indian Railways has electrified a staggering 98 per cent of its Broad Gauge (BG) network. This is a testament to the focused execution and determination of the Modi government. It is a herculean task that has the potential to fundamentally reshape India towards a more modern, efficient, and sustainable future.

Since 2014, a colossal 45,922 kilometres of railway lines have been brought under electric traction, according to information shared by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Parliament. This figure utterly dwarfs the 21,801 kilometres electrified in the entire six decades preceding 2014. It represents a monumental shift in pace and ambition, accelerating the electrification rate from a crawl to a sprint – jumping from roughly 1.42 kilometres per day between 2004–14 to nearly 19.7 kilometres per day in 2023–24. Such a dramatic surge does not happen by chance; it is the tangible outcome of strategic prioritisation and an unwavering commitment to drag India’s lifeline into a new era.

This journey, which began a century ago with the first electric train chugging out of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in 1925, is now nearing its ambitious conclusion of 100 per cent Broad Gauge (BG) electrification. We are witnessing the culmination of a national project........

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