All railway stations in India to go LED by March 31, 2018: Ministry

In an eco-friendly measure to cut power consumption, the Indian Railways today said it planned to make all stations cent per cent LED lit by March 31, 2018.

The railways said it was actively working to provide 100 per cent LED lighting for energy needs in railway staff colonies, stations and platforms.

"Ministry of Railways has decided to make all railway stations 100 per cent LED lit by the end of current financial year by March 31, 2018. It is a huge initiative to provide energy efficient lighting which will eventually greatly help in the conservation of environment as well," it said in a statement.

LED or light-emitting diode bulbs are more energy efficient and have a longer lifespan than traditional lamps.

Till November 2017, about 3,500 railway stations had already been provided with cent per cent LED lights. About 20 lakh such lights were installed.

The initiative will reduce consumption by about 10 per cent of the total energy being utilised for its non-traction uses, conserving about 240 million units of electricity, which will save the Railways about Rs 180 crore annually, it said.

The Railways has also issued directives to Zonal Railways to provide LED light fittings to residential quarters.

Zonal Railways had distributed about 20 lakh LED lights to railway staff till October, 2017, under the government's Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) Scheme.

The national transporter also aims at providing these lights on all coaches/EMUs. Already, the lights in 1300 non-AC second-class and 3-tier sleeper coaches have been fully converted to LED.