NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways, in a bid to modernise itself and become more eco-friendly, has started to operate 14 pairs of premium trains with the Head On Generation (HoG) system. The move has resulted in the national transporter saving `42 crore in diesel expenses annually.
The national transporter is also looking to convert 11 more pairs of trains, including two Shatabdi, two Duronto expresses and seven mail express trains into the
HoG system.
Currently, six pairs of Shatabdi, four pairs of Rajdhani, Anand Vihar-Madhupur Humsafar Express, Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Udhampur AC Express, Taj Express and Shan-e-Punjab Express run on the HoG system.
The HoG system draws power from the overhead electrical wires and saves the railways from attaching power coaches at the end of the train which provides power for lighting and ACs. The system is more reliable as it has lesser chances of operational failure.
According to officials, the system will also help the railways earn more revenue as the power cars will now be replaced with passenger coaches.
“Also, there is no use of diesel for power generation so there is no air pollution due to the burning of fossil fuel. Moreover, the high decibel noise emanated by power cars has been eliminated
as well,” a senior rail official said.