Railways shifting to solar power

Lahore: Pakistan Railways decided to transfer the railway network to solar energy to reduce the economic burden.

According to the COO of Pakistan Railways the Minister of railways Khawaja Saad Rafique stated that railway also agreed to restart the Mohenjodaro Express on July 20th.

According to the announcement, it has been determined that 45 offices and railway stations in major cities, including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Multan, and Sukkur divisions, will have solar panels installed with a budget of Rs 40 million.

The Mohenjodaro Express, which will go through Dadu and Habib Kot, would include eight economy coaches, according to a statement made by Pakistan Railways.

The COO of Pakistan Railways has also said that if the Mohenjodaro Express was successful, the Bolan Express would also be revived. However, running the Khushhal Khan Khattak Express commercially is currently not viable, he clarified.

Additionally, the project’s capacity has been assessed at 2308 kilowatts, with 3.2 million units produced annually at a 20 percent efficiency.

In contrast, after the project is finished, railway stations will be able to save over Rs 52 million yearly which would otherwise be spent on diesel generator fuel and maintenance.

According to the officials, Pakistan Railway will save Rs. 70.62 million annually as a result of the cost differential between solar energy and WAPDA electricity. The total route length of the Pakistan Railway is just over 11,000 km.