The Indian Railways is embracing innovative revenue generation strategies. Recently, several zones have earned crores through scrap metal sales, and the cleaning of goods trains has also become a source of income. Now, the railways are capitalizing on solar energy by installing panels at stations, administrative buildings, and level...
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crossings. The East Central Railway (ECR) has installed 2197.52 KWp of solar panels across its five divisions and headquarters in Hajipur, generating 18.54 lakh units of electricity in FY 2023-24, resulting in a savings of ₹77.81 lakh on electricity bills. Large-scale installations include 510.4 KWp at the General Manager's office in Hajipur, 500 KWp at the Divisional Railway Manager's office and hospital in Danapur, and other installations at Gaya MEMU shed, Patliputra station, and the DRM office in Sonpur. The ECR is currently installing a total of 9432 KWp of solar capacity across 260 stations, 120 other buildings, and 116 level crossings in its five divisions. The installations are in various stages of progress, with Danapur aiming for 2630 KWp, Sonpur for 1375 KWp, Samastipur for 1027 KWp, Dhanbad for 3760 KWp, and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya for 640 KWp.