Passenger Trains in India Make Way for Coal to Stop Power Crisis
- Railways cancels some passenger trains to deliver coal faster
- Coal reserves at power plants decline 16% since start of April
Indian Railways plans to add 100,000 more coal wagons to its fleet.
Photographer: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images
India has canceled some passenger trains to allow for faster movement of coal carriages as the nation scrambles to replenish depleting inventories at power plants in a bid to avoid a full-blown power crisis.
A scorching summer is driving demand for coal, which helps generate about 70% of the country’s electricity. Several parts of India are facing long hours of blackouts, while some industries are cutting output due to the fossil fuel’s shortage, threatening the economy’s revival from the pandemic-induced slump. The risk of a further spike in inflation is rising at a time when the government is struggling to rein in high energy prices fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.