Improving the Efficiency of Metro Transport in India
Context
Experts calculate that electrification of the world’s railways could reduce global carbon emissions by 0.1 – 0.7 gigatons, and that this transition could save $723-3,300 billion over the lifetime of the infrastructure.
India has the second longest rail infrastructure in the world, and has committed to 100% electrification of broad-gauge routes by 2023, and net zero emissions by 2030. These efforts have already begun in earnest, with 45, 881km of India’s train routes already electrified.
As of 2016, Delhi had over 18.6 million residents, making it the fifth most populated city in the world. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions per passenger-kilometre, the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) was introduced, which included Metro Delhi, with the aim of making travelling around the city faster, cheaper, and more energy efficient, thereby reducing carbon emissions. Improvements to the Metro were introduced to reduce usage of buses, taxis, passenger cars, motorcycles, and motorised rickshaws, which are all less energy efficient and more polluting forms of transport used in the city.
Project
This project will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to, on average, 529,043 tCO2 per year. These reductions come from a combination of changes being made by this project, including reducing reliance on less efficient and more polluting forms of transport, and increasing the efficiency of the metro and its related infrastructure. The source of the electricity that is required to power the metro is being shifted away from fossil fuels, with solar power projects being developed to supply electricity to the railway as it aims to be the world’s first 100% solar-powered metro.
One of the improvements being made to the trains themselves to improve their energy efficiency is to use regenerative braking systems to convert the kinetic energy of decelerating trains into electrical energy to power accelerating trains. This will reduce the electricity demand of the trains.
There are also a number of other programmes associated with this project to bring benefits to the local area. These include tree preservation and planting programmes, building a shelter home for children living on the street and Old Age winter homes, and setting up wastewater treatment plants to improve water use efficiency. As part of the project the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation who is leading this project will also work with schools to raise awareness on conservation of natural resources, and work with NGOs and conduct free awareness programmes on environment and climate change.
Verification
This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard. You can view it on the Verra Registry here.
Climate Solution #74
Electric Trains
Trains transport 28 billion passengers and more than 12 gigatons of freight annually. Most rely on diesel-burning engines; some tap into the electric grid. Although trains have steadily improved their fuel-use efficiency in recent decades, rail was responsible for 3.5 percent of emissions within the transport sector in 2013.
Railway companies employ a range of technical and operational measures to improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs. As locomotives are retired, more efficient models replace them, many with more aerodynamic designs. In some cases, those models include hybrid diesel-electric engines and batteries, which gain efficiencies similar to those of hybrid cars, saving 10–20 percent on fuel.
Better locomotives, more strategically placed, are enhanced by better cars—lighter, more aerodynamic, able to hold more cargo, and equipped with low-torque bearings. The rails themselves can be better lubricated to reduce friction. How a train is driven also remains critical, and software can improve it.
The number of electric trains is increasing. As electricity production shifts to renewables, rail has the potential to provide nearly emissions-free transport.