Northern Railway to Swap LPG and Diesel for PNG at 22 Sites
Northern Railway signs an MoU with IGL to replace LPG and diesel with Piped Natural Gas at 22 locations to boost efficiency and reduce costs.
The Northern Railway PNG transition is set to begin following a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL). This strategic move aims to replace the daily consumption of approximately 500 kg of LPG and 2,500 litres of diesel with Piped Natural Gas (PNG) across 22 key railway establishments.
A Major Shift to Cleaner Energy
In a move aimed at accelerating the adoption of natural gas under the government's National PNG Drive 3.0, the agreement will initially cover an estimated 3,000 Standard Cubic Metres per Day (SCMD). As infrastructure and connectivity expand, this demand is expected to surge to between 8,000 and 10,000 SCMD in the coming years.
The partnership focuses on railway establishments within Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar. By transitioning to PNG, the railway aims to simplify fuel handling, improve supply reliability, and support the shift toward cleaner energy sources across its operations.
Key Locations and Facilities Involved
Under the first phase of the agreement, PNG will be supplied to 22 designated locations. A primary focus will be on departmental mechanised laundries, which require consistent fuel for boiler operations. These facilities include:
- Delhi Sarai Rohilla
- Old Delhi
- Anand Vihar Terminal
- Hazrat Nizamuddin
- New Delhi
Beyond laundry services, the PNG supply will also cater to various other essential railway facilities, such as officers' rest houses, base kitchens, running rooms, subordinate rest houses, and the lobbies used by guards and Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTE).
Reducing Costs and Future Expansion
Pushpesh Raman Tripathi, the Divisional Railway Manager for the Delhi Division of Northern Railway, highlighted that the agreement would help the Indian Railways reduce substantial energy costs. He further noted that the administration plans to extend PNG connectivity to railway hospitals and residential colonies in the future.
The collaboration also holds significant economic benefits for the nation. Subhankar Sen, Chairman of IGL, noted that substituting LPG with natural gas would help reduce India's dependence on fuel imports and decrease the associated subsidy burden. Kumar Shanker, Managing Director of IGL, described the partnership as a pioneering model of collaboration between the railways and city gas distribution companies.
The initiative is expected to grow as PNG infrastructure expands into other authorized geographical areas, including:
- Ajmer
- Banda
- Rewari
- Muzaffarnagar