BENGALURU: In an eco-friendly initiative, the South Western Railway (SWR) zone is set to have an annual savings of Rs 84.4 crore by adopting a system where the power needs of a train are met through overhead electric wires instead of attaching power cars to them. This switch over, executed over four months, has been done in 10 pairs of trains in the zone in Phase I.
According to an official release, the head on generation (HOG) technology has been introduced in trains having safe LHB coaches and hauled by electric traction. The power needs of a train are lighting and air conditioning.
SWR General Manager Ajay Kumar Singh said, “The average savings of fuel per trip for a train is Rs 3.5 lakh. The annual savings for the 10 pairs of trains where HOG has been introduced works out to Rs 88.4 crore.”
Explaining the advantages, the release said that in the past, two power cars known as End On Generators (EOG) were attached to the trains to generate power. “These power cars emit fumes and noise pollution was up to 105 decibels. The new HOG system works by distributing the power to trailing coaches by tapping the overhead power lines. The HOG technology does not require any diesel oil consumption, hence reducing air and noise pollution,” it said.