Indian Railways Marks Earth Day With Green Push: 81.59 Lakh Trees Planted, 99.6% Broad-gauge Electrified

Indian Railways used World Earth Day 2026 to showcase the scale of its sustainability drive, saying it planted 81.59 lakh trees in 2025-26 across its zones while continuing a wider environmental transition that now spans electrification, water conservation, sanitation, and renewable energy. The Railway Ministry said the initiative aligns with the global Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” and reflects the role of the national transporter, which carries more than 2 crore passengers daily, in India’s greener infrastructure push.

The plantation campaign formed the centrepiece of the announcement. According to the ministry, major contributions came from Northeast Frontier Railway with 9.3 lakh trees, South Central Railway with 9 lakh, Northeast Railway with 8.7 lakh, and Northern Railway with 8.5 lakh. Railway officials said plantation along tracks, stations, and other available land is expanding green cover, improving local microclimates, reducing dust and noise, and helping bind soil in vulnerable stretches, thereby supporting both environmental goals and track safety.

Water management was another major focus area in the release. Indian Railways said it has installed 8,313 rooftop rainwater harvesting structures since 2016-17, including 2,915 added in the last two years, while 185 water recycling plants have been commissioned across zones, with 26 added in the last financial year alone. The ministry also said 1,944 water audits have been conducted since 2015-16, including 310 in 2025-26, and 109 ponds, tanks, and wetlands on or near railway land have been restored to recharge aquifers, manage stormwater, and support biodiversity.

A notable example highlighted in the release was the Kankaria Coaching Depot in Ahmedabad, which the ministry described as India’s first water-neutral railway depot. By treating and reusing nearly all wastewater from coach washing and maintenance, the depot has sharply reduced dependence on external freshwater sources, illustrating how operational resilience and environmental management can go hand in hand.

On energy transition, the ministry said 99.6% of the broad-gauge network has now been electrified, reaching 69,873 route kilometres by March 2026, compared with 21,801 route kilometres in 2014. It added that this shift helped save 178 crore litres of diesel in 2024-25 compared with 2016-17, a reduction of 62%, lowering exposure to crude oil imports and global energy volatility. The release also said all new line and multi-tracking projects are now being built with electrification from the outset.

Railways also highlighted progress in sanitation and clean power. Since 2014, it has fitted more than 3.66 lakh bio-toilets in passenger coaches, a move aimed at preventing direct discharge of waste onto tracks, protecting soil and groundwater, and improving onboard hygiene. In renewable energy, the network has already commissioned around 909 MW of solar capacity and 103 MW of wind power, while an additional 3,300 MW has been tied up through solar, wind, and hybrid round-the-clock arrangements in multiple states.

The ministry said Indian Railways has also achieved 100% LED lighting across offices, stations, service buildings, and residential colonies, cutting electricity use while improving illumination quality for passengers and staff. It added that broader energy-efficiency measures such as the use of BEE 5-star appliances, BLDC fans, variable-frequency drives, and efficient motors and pumps helped the organisation win seven National Energy Conservation Awards in 2025 across three categories.

Taken together, Indian Railways is a major public-sector player in India’s sustainability transition, using its vast operational footprint to push greener transport, lower fossil-fuel dependence, conserve water, and improve sanitation at scale.

Reference: PIB