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Amit Shah flags off 1st LNG train, says railways to achieve 100% electrification soon
Shah said that the development works inaugurated and foundation stones laid on Sunday, at a cost of ₹1,472 crore
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Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said Indian Railways would soon achieve 100% electrification of its network, a level he said only Sweden has achieved on a much smaller railway system, as he flagged off the country’s first LNG-powered train at Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad and inaugurated railway development works.
Speaking at an event where he inaugurated projects worth ₹1,472 crore, Shah said railway electrification stood at only 30% before Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, while the remaining 70% was completed during his tenure. He said that under the Modi government, the railway safety budget has increased by 67%, while locomotive production capacity has increased by 66%.
“Electrification covered just 75 kilometres in an entire year in 2010-11, whereas 7,188 kilometres were electrified in a single year in 2023-24. Today, 99.6% of the railway network is electrified and we will soon complete the remaining 0.4% as well,” he said.
Shah said India had moved ahead of several countries in railway electrification.
“Railway electrification stands at 92% in China, 68% in Spain, 60% in France and 49% in the United Kingdom. India will surpass these countries by achieving 100% electrification. Sweden is the only country in the world to have achieved 100% railway electrification, but the total length of railway lines in Sweden is nearly ten times less than that of India,” he said.
He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with dedicated freight corridors, rapid rail, premium stations and placing India among a small group of countries with hydrogen-train technology.
Hitting out at the Congress, he said the party “speaks nonsense” and that the public should demand a debate on figures.
“If Gujarat is taken as an example in terms of the railway budget, the rail budget from 2009 to 2014 was merely ₹589 crore. In contrast, the budget for just one year, 2026-27, stands at ₹17,366 crore,” he said, adding that the difference in the pace of development is clearly visible.
“The people of the country should tell Congress leaders who make baseless statements to discuss issues with facts and figures. What did you do during your tenure? Apart from scams, scandals and corruption amounting to ₹12 lakh crore over 10 years, they did nothing. But no one has been able to accuse PM Modi of corruption of even four annas in 12 years,” Shah said.
He said Prime Minister Modi launched the concepts of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, and as a result, the country has now made significant progress towards manufacturing equipment such as locomotives domestically. He said that in 2015-16, the railways consumed 293 crore litres of diesel, but this had declined to 108 crore litres in 2024-25.
Shah said that the development works inaugurated and foundation stones laid on Sunday, at a cost of ₹1,472 crore, would prove to be highly significant for the region in the coming days. He said that a WAG-12 Maintenance Shed had been constructed here at a cost of ₹700 crore for the maintenance of railway locomotives. The ‘Kavach’ train protection system has been introduced on the Sabarmati–Kalol–Sabarmati rail section at a cost of ₹48 crore to enhance safety. In addition, work has commenced on the implementation of ‘Kavach’ on the Ahmedabad–Palanpur and Ahmedabad–Samakhiali rail sections, as well as the doubling of the Sabarmati–Sarkhej railway line.
Shah said that on Sunday, an engine with a 12,000-horsepower twin-section capacity had been commissioned, which can haul nearly as much freight as 600 trucks. Earlier, two locomotives were required for this purpose, but now a single WAG-12 can perform the same task. “This will mark an important milestone in the history of Indian Railways,” he said.
“The trial of the country’s first double-stack long-haul container train from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai, to Vadodara has been successfully completed. The country has limited rail tracks for freight transportation, but if the concept of double-stack freight trains succeeds, the freight-carrying capacity will nearly double, which will be capable of meeting the country’s requirement till 2040. An 11,000-kilometre-long corridor is now being converted into a four-lane network, which will significantly facilitate traffic movement towards Delhi–Howrah and Delhi–Guwahati.”
Shah began the day at Shela in Ahmedabad, where he attended a programme marking the 92nd birth anniversary of Jain Acharya Padmasagar Surishwarji Maharaj and sought his blessings. In a social media post, he described the acharya’s life as “an unparalleled example of sadhana, restraint and public service” and said his sermons inspire people towards non-violence, compassion and good conduct.
