The Indian Railways will install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at all major railway stations in the country in the next three years under a new policy of promoting e-mobility.
According to a policy document, seen by ET, railway stations in mega cities with a population of more than four million each will be taken up in the first phase.
It envisages installation of EV charging stations at the railway stations in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Surat by December 2024.
The move is aimed at significantly curtailing the use of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2025 for the Indian Railways’ internal use, as part of its endeavour to be a net zero carbon emitter by 2030.
A two-pronged strategy has been proposed that focuses on the adoption of EVs and on proliferation of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure at railway stations.
All railway stations in big cities with a population of more than a million and in mega cities with population of more than four million will be taken up in the second phase, which will culminate in December 2025.
The remaining electrified stations on the Indian Railways network will have EV charging stations installed by December 2026, based on feasibility studies by the zonal railways on a case-by-case basis.
The EV charging stations can be set up through a budgetary grant with the zonal railway owning the stations. The other option is the developer mode, under which the charge point operators invest in setting up EV charging stations and pay a licence rent to the railways.