Central Organisation for Railway Electrification
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of Indian Railways |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railways, electrification |
| Founded | 1979[1] |
| Headquarters | , India |
Area served | India |
Key people | Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railway Minister) Vinay Kumar Tirupati(Board Chairman) |
| Products | Railway electrification |
| Owner | Indian Railways |
| Website | core.indianrailways.gov.in |
The Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE) is the unit of Indian Railways responsible for electrification of the network. The organisation, founded in 1979,[1] is headquartered in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Project units operate in Ambala, Bangalore, Chennai, Secunderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Danapur, and New Jalpaiguri.
CORE headquarters has Electrical, Signal and Telecommunications (S&T), Civil Engineering, Stores, Personnel, Vigilance and Finance departments. Railway Electrification project units are headed by Chief Project Directors.
Indian Railways had electrified 59,524 route kilometres (RKM) which is about 90% of the total broad gauge network of Indian Railways (65,300 RKM, including Konkan Railway) by 1 August 2023.[2] Indian Railway aims to electrify all of its broad gauge network by December 2023. The entire electrified mainline rail network in India uses 25 kV AC; DC is used only for metros and trams.
History
1500 V DC
Railway electrification in India began with the first electric train (1500 V DC), between Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway's (GIPR) Harbour Line, on 3 February 1925. Steep grades on the Western Ghats necessitated the introduction of electric traction on the GIPR to Igatpuri on the North East Line and to Pune on the South East Line. 1500 V DC traction was introduced on the suburban section of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway between Colaba and Borivili on 5 January 1928, and between Madras Beach and Tambaram of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway on 11 May 1931, to meet growing traffic needs. The last sections of 1500 V DC in India, from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai to Panvel and Thane to Vashi, were upgraded to 25 kV AC in April 2016.[3]
3000 V DC
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]
Organization
The electrification office was established in Calcutta 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 Organization, established in Calcutta 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. In accordance with the 1978 J. Raj Committee report, a number of electrification projects were included and a railway-electrification headquarters was established. Since most of the electrification projects were in Central 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 Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE). A general manager was appointed in July 1987.[citation needed]
Electrification progress
| Trend of Railway Electrification Commissioning in India (1925-2023)[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | Electrification (rkm) | Cumulative (rkm) |
| 1925-1947 | 388 | 388 |
| 1948-2014 | 21,413 | 21,801 |
| 2014-2015 | 1,176 | 22,997 |
| 2015-2016 | 1,502 | 24,479 |
| 2016-2017 | 1,646 | 26,125 |
| 2017-2018 | 4,087 | 30,212 |
| 2018-2019 | 5,276 | 35,488 |
| 2019-2020 | 4,378 | 39,866 |
| 2020-2021 | 6,015 | 45,881 |
| 2021-2022 | 6,366 | 52,247 |
| 2022-2023 | 6,565 | 58,812 |
 | 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 August 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Total route km |
Electrified route km |
% Electrification (BG to BG) |
| Andhra Pradesh | 3,965 | 3,841 | 96.87 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Assam | 2,518 | 801 | 31.81 |
| Bihar | 3,686 | 3,614 | 97.41 |
| Chandigarh | 16 | 16 | 100 |
| Chhattisgarh | 1,199 | 1,199 | 100 |
| Delhi | 183 | 183 | 100 |
| Goa | 189 | 147 | 77.78 |
| Gujarat | 3,862 | 3,435 | 88.94 |
| Haryana | 1,701 | 1,701 | 100 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 67 | 67 | 100 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 298 | 298 | 100 |
| Jharkhand | 2,558 | 2,558 | 100 |
| Karnataka | 3,836 | 3,012 | 78.52 |
| Kerala | 1,047 | 947 | 90.45 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4,822 | 4,822 | 100 |
| Manipur | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Meghalaya | 9 | 9 | 100 |
| Mizoram | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Maharashtra | 5,734 | 5,448 | 94.58 |
| Nagaland | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Odisha | 2,822 | 2,822 | 100 |
| Punjab | 2,253 | 1,915 | 85.00 |
| Puducherry | 21 | 21 | 100 |
| Rajasthan | 5,623 | 4,633 | 82.39 |
| Sikkim | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Telangana | 1,858 | 1,858 | 100 |
| Tamil Nadu | 3,854 | 3,659 | 94.94 |
| Tripura | 265 | 0 | 0 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 8,489 | 8,489 | 100 |
| Uttarakhand | 347 | 347 | 100 |
| West Bengal | 4,047 | 3,682 | 90.98 |
| Total (BG) | 65,357 | 59,524 | 91.08 |
| Electrified network by zone (broad gauge only) as of 1 August 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone | Total route km |
Electrified route km |
% Electrification (BG to BG) |
| CR | 3,888 | 3,888 | 100 |
| ER | 2,775 | 2,775 | 100 |
| ECR | 4,078 | 4,014 | 98 |
| ECoR | 2,921 | 2,921 | 100 |
| NR | 7,062 | 6,693 | 95 |
| NCR | 3,222 | 3,222 | 100 |
| NER | 3,168 | 3,168 | 100 |
| NFR | 4,151 | 1,734 | 42 |
| NWR | 5,327 | 4,257 | 80 |
| SR | 4,914 | 4,612 | 94 |
| SCR | 6,294 | 5,810 | 92 |
| SER | 2,753 | 2,753 | 100 |
| SECR | 2,348 | 2,348 | 100 |
| SWR | 3,606 | 2,795 | 78 |
| WR | 5,017 | 4,701 | 94 |
| WCR | 3,052 | 3,052 | 100 |
| KRCL | 738 | 738 | 100 |
| Kolkata Metro | 43 | 43 | 100 |
| Total (BG) | 65,357 | 59,524 | 91.08 |
Note:
- Total (BG + MG + NG) rkm: 69,900 route km
- Total Electrification %: 85.16%
Modernisation
Equipment
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 acquisition control system is replacing the earlier electro-mechanical Strowger system of remote-control equipment. SCADA can telemeter voltage, 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]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Home page", Central Organisation for Railway Electrification, Ministry of Railways, Government of India, retrieved 24 May 2021
- ^ a b "Railway Electrification as on 01_08_23" (PDF). indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Central Railway completes DC to AC conversion". Hindustan Times. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Indian Railways" (PDF). indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
