Kolkata: Century-old Howrah railway station has been awarded the first Green Railway Station among the metropolitan cities by the Indian Green Building Council-Confederation of Indian Industries (IGBC-CII).
At a meeting on Sunday, divisional railway manager (Howrah) Manu Goel was handed over the shield, an award for silver rating in the category of the Green Railway Station by IGBC-CII chairperson Shakuntala Ghosh at the Howrah station. The certification is valid for three years.
Mr Goel said, “There are some criteria which need to be fulfilled to get the award. The Howrah station earned the distinction of being the first railway station amongst the metropolitan cities in the country to be certified as a Green Railway Station for its best results in water conservation and saving measures and effective waste management, electrical energy saving and generation, passengers’ comfort, increased use of renewable energy and various eco-friendly practices.” Mr Goel added, “We will continue to thrive until we achieve the ultimate platinum rating for Howrah station.” Meanwhile, a high speed 3-phase alternating current (AC) EMU rake was also introduced as Howrah-Bandel special in the Howrah division in the morning. Mrinal Kanti Mondal, a senior most staff of the electrical department of the Howrah division, flagged off the train.
Mr Goel also said that the new rakes, provided with 3-phase propulsion system, are environmental friendly and are fit to run at 100 km per hour. It is to be noted that the new rakes has a host of features: re-generation braking which saves 30 per cent of running cost. Mr Goel also announced that the ER has plans to introduce many such rakes in the current year.
