Railways is rapidly constructing electric loco sheds to reduce its dependence on diesel. Vatva Electric Loco Shed of Ahmedabad Division has received a big honour. It has been given “GreenCo GOLD Rating” by CII (Confederation of Indian Industry). This is the first shed to get this rating in Western Railway. Vatva Shed has done a great job in saving electricity, reducing pollution and improving the environment. GreenCo Rating is India's first such rating system, which looks at how much damage a company is causing to the environment or how much it is saving.
This shed started running the trains completely on electricity instead of running them on diesel. This was a big benefit. More than 1.88 crore liters of diesel was saved in the year 2022-23. Due to zero diesel consumption, Scope-1 emissions were reduced by almost 100 percent.
A special type of luminous tubes were installed on the roof of the large hall (assembly bay) of the shed, which is called long-tube daylight harvesting.
Apart from this, many changes were made in the shed to consume less electricity. Old bulbs, CFL and halogen lights were removed and LED lights were installed. 5-star BLDC fans which consume less power were installed in place of the old fans which consume more power. Energy savings were ensured by using occupancy sensors and astronomical timers.
Vatva Shed has made excellent arrangements to save water and keep the loco pilots clean. A system for collecting rainwater (Rainwater Harvesting) and sending it underground (Groundwater Recharge) has been installed in the shed. Due to this, about 20.5 lakh liters of water is kept safe every year by preventing it from flowing. Ved Prakash, Railway Manager, Ahmedabad Railway Division, said that 'Vatva Electric Train Engine Factory' (Loco Shed) of Ahmedabad has received a big honor 'CII Greenco Gold Rating' for doing environment friendly work. This is a matter of pride for the entire Ahmedabad Division and Western Railway.
He said that the Vatva factory has used new technologies and methods that do not harm the environment. They have proved that along with better operation of trains, the environment can also be protected. He said that Indian Railways is working towards the target of net zero carbon emissions by the year 2030 and this achievement is an important step in that direction.
About 1,863 kilowatt peak (kWp) capacity solar plants have been installed in Ahmedabad division, producing an estimated 24.22 lakh units of clean energy every year. Apart from this, a dedicated rooftop solar project is also proposed for Vatva Shed. This is strengthening Indian Railways' target of net zero carbon emissions by the year 2030.
Under Scope-1, Scope-2 and Scope-3, a continuous year-on-year decline has been recorded in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions. More than 800 trees have been conserved in Lokshed.
A big step has been taken in the direction of waste management. For this, Zero Waste to Landfill approach has been adopted. This includes proper recycling and sorting of waste in the beginning itself. It means giving the separated waste to such agencies which make new things from it. Through both these methods, annual savings of about Rs 38 lakh have been ensured.
