SynopsisPrime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted significant railway electrification progress. Seventy percent of India's rail network was electrified in one decade. This initiative reduced diesel consumption and foreign exchange expenditure. India also launched its first indigenous hydrogen-powered train recently. Modern coach manufacturing has also seen a substantial increase.PTIPrime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted significant railway electrification progress. Seventy percent of India's rail network was electrified in one decade.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the rapid pace of railway electrification under his government, saying 70% of India's rail network was electrified in a decade compared with 30% in the preceding 90 years.Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said railway electrification began in 1925 but progressed slowly for decades before accelerating under his government.Also Read: Independence Day 2026: PM Modi invokes ‘Sapta Dhara’ vision for India’s future focusing on manufacturing to soft power"We completed 100 per cent electrification in just one decade. Thirty per cent in 90 years and 70 per cent in 10 years -- this is the pace of work," he said.According to the latest Railway Board data, 99.6% of India's 70,142 broad-gauge route kilometres had been electrified.The Railway Ministry said in a recent written reply to Parliament that 21,801 route kilometres had been electrified before 2014, while another 48,072 route kilometres were electrified between 2014 and 2026.Modi said the shift to electric traction had reduced the railways' reliance on imported diesel while also helping cut emissions.The ministry's data shows that diesel consumption for railway traction fell by 185 crore litres, from around 293 crore litres in 2015-16 to 108 crore litres in 2024-25."This has resulted in savings in precious foreign exchange for the Government of India exchequer, which would otherwise have been required for the import of fuel," the ministry said.Also Read: Urea, DAP kept affordable for farmers despite a global price surge: PM Modi in his Red Fort addressModi also highlighted India's foray into hydrogen-powered railways, saying the country had made its mark in the emerging green hydrogen train sector."What is special is that it is the longest and most powerful train, and India has also made its mark in the field of hydrogen trains in the world," he said.India's first indigenous hydrogen-powered train was flagged off by Modi on July 17 and is being operated on a pilot basis on the 89-km Jind-Sonipat section of Northern Railway in Haryana.The trainset, developed at a cost of Rs 141 crore, is intended to demonstrate the use of hydrogen-powered technology in India's railway system. Its operation produces no direct CO2 emissions, with water vapour as the only emission from the train's hydrogen fuel-cell system.Modi also pointed to the expansion of modern coach manufacturing as another sign of the transformation of the railways under his government.According to Railway Ministry data, India manufactured just 2,337 Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches between 2004-05 and 2013-14. Production rose to 49,366 coaches between 2014-15 and 2025-26, an increase of more than 21 times.The Prime Minister cited the electrification drive, the adoption of alternative-energy technologies and the expansion of modern coach production as examples of the pace and scale of infrastructure development during the past 12 years.Read More News on...moreless