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Northeast Frontier Railway Adds 9.27 MW of Rooftop Solar, Shifts 31 Train Pairs to Electric Traction in FY26

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has reported notable progress in renewable energy deployment, electrification, and operational safety measures during the ongoing financial year, according to officials.

As part of its clean energy push, NFR commissioned 9.27 MWp of rooftop solar capacity up to December 2025. The addition marks a 373% increase compared with the same period in the previous financial year and represents the highest annual rooftop solar capacity commissioned by the zone since 2011–12.

Following the latest installations, NFR’s cumulative rooftop solar capacity has reached 18.4 MWp as of December 31, 2025, the railway said in an official statement.

On the electrification front, Trip Inspection (TRIP) sheds were made operational at New Jalpaiguri and Dibrugarh on August 20 and November 27, respectively. These facilities support electric locomotive inspections and are expected to improve reliability and turnaround times in train operations.

The railway has also expanded the deployment of the indigenous Automatic Train Protection system, Kavach, which has now been installed in 81 electric locomotives out of NFR’s total fleet of 285. In parallel, 31 pairs of trains have been converted from diesel to end-to-end electric traction, leading to the release of 26 diesel locomotives.

In addition to energy and traction upgrades, NFR has introduced sectional videography during night operations across the Katihar, Alipurduar, Rangiya, and Tinsukia divisions. The initiative is aimed at improving route familiarisation and enhancing situational awareness for train crews.