11 Delhi bus depots electrified, three more to be ready by February: Govt

The Delhi government has electrified 11 of its bus depots to accommodate its growing fleet of electric buses. Three more depots are expected to be electrified by February. Delhi plans to increase its fleet of e-buses to 8,280 by 2025 and aims to electrify all 57 bus depots. The government is also constructing a new depot exclusively for electric buses and planning two multi-level bus parking lots. The total cost of electrifying the buses and depots is estimated to be several hundred crores.

The Delhi government has electrified 11 of the 57 bus depots in the Capital to accommodate its growing fleet of electric buses, transport department officials aware of the matter said on Thursday, adding that three more depots are likely to be electrified by February.

500 new electric buses at IP Depot in New Delhi on Thursday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The depots electrified are Rohini Sector 37, Mundela Kalan, Raj Ghat 2, Mayapuri, BBM, Nehru Place, Rohini Sector 1, Rohini Sector 2, Subhash Place, Hasanpur and Wazirpur.

Delhi has a fleet of 1,300 e-buses, and plans to increase that number to 8,280 by 2025. To this effect, the government plans to electrify all 57 bus depots.

“Every depot has between 20 and 150 charging points, and additional infrastructure is being created so that the electric points can be increased as and when required. Apart from the 11 depots electrified so far, work is also going on at the Sukhdev Vihar, Kalkaji and Narayana depots. Additionally, the Savda Ghevra depot (in northwest Delhi) is being added as a new depot exclusively for electric buses, which will be able to accommodate 200 E-buses,” said a transport department official.

The construction of Savda Gherva depot is expected to be completed by early next year at an estimated cost of ₹50.87 crore. The new bus depot is also expected to boost connectivity of this locality with central and New Delhi areas.

The government is also planning two multi-level bus parking lots in Vasant Vihar and Hari Nagar, while repair work is going on at the Okhla bus stop, the official said.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said, “The first electric bus hit the streets on January 17, 2022, and we have been increasing the fleet since. We have already spent ₹1,500 crore on the electrification of buses and at least another couple of hundred crores will have to be spent for electrification of depots.”