Green Railways — Set 5

Correct Answer: B. Longer life and lower energy use

• **Longer life and lower energy use** = LED (Light Emitting Diode) fittings consume approximately 50-60% less electricity than equivalent fluorescent or incandescent lamps and last 25,000-50,000 hours compared to 1,000-5,000 hours for conventional bulbs. • **Scale of savings** — Indian Railways completed 100% LED replacement at all its 7,000+ stations by 2021, resulting in annual energy savings of about 1,400 million kWh and a reduction of roughly 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 per year. • LEDs also generate far less heat, reducing the cooling load on air-conditioned waiting halls and platform shelters, compounding the overall energy efficiency gains. • 💡 Option A (Cheaper to buy) is wrong because LED fittings have a higher upfront purchase cost than conventional bulbs, even though they are cheaper over their lifetime; Option C (More colors) is wrong because colour variety is a feature of decorative LEDs but is irrelevant to why railways adopt them for the green mission; Option D (Easier to install) is wrong because LED installation complexity is similar to conventional fittings and is not the reason for adoption.

Correct Answer: B. Reducing food waste and local sourcing

• **Reducing food waste and local sourcing** = e-catering enables passengers to pre-order meals from FSSAI-licensed local restaurants and cloud kitchens at or near their destination station, so food is freshly prepared on demand, eliminating bulk pre-cooked food waste common in pantry cars. • **Platform** — Indian Railways launched e-catering through IRCTC's website and app; by 2023 it was available at over 400 stations, partnering with local restaurants including regional cuisine vendors. • Shorter supply chains mean less refrigeration energy, fresher ingredients, support for local farmers and food businesses, and reduced reliance on single-use plastic packaging used in mass pantry-car meals. • 💡 Option A (Using more plastic) is wrong because e-catering is specifically designed to reduce packaging waste, not increase plastic consumption; Option C (Selling only cold food) is wrong because e-catering provides hot, freshly cooked meals ordered to specific station delivery points; Option D (Banning all pantry cars) is wrong because pantry cars continue to operate on many routes; e-catering supplements rather than eliminates them.

Correct Answer: A. Northeast Frontier Railway

• **Northeast Frontier Railway** = the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone, headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati, encompasses the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which operates iconic narrow-gauge toy trains through steep mountain terrain. • **UNESCO status** — the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 under the Mountain Railways of India category, and heritage-preservation measures restrict heavy infrastructure development, making eco-friendly operation especially important. • NFR also manages connections to the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Kalka-Shimla Railway heritage corridors, all of which have introduced biodiesel blends and solar lighting at hill stations. • 💡 Option B (Western Railway) is wrong because Western Railway covers Gujarat and coastal Maharashtra, predominantly plains terrain with no mountain toy-train operations; Option C (North Central Railway) is wrong because NCR covers the Prayagraj-Agra-Jhansi region, a flat Gangetic plain with no mountain railways; Option D (South Eastern Railway) is wrong because SER covers West Bengal plains and Odisha, not the Himalayan or Nilgiri mountain regions.

Correct Answer: B. Total greenhouse gases produced

• **Total greenhouse gases produced** = carbon footprint is the total volume of greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, CH4, and N2O, expressed in CO2-equivalent (CO2e) units, generated directly or indirectly by an activity or organisation over a given period. • **Railways context** — Indian Railways emits roughly 14-15 million tonnes of CO2e annually; transitioning from diesel traction to electric powered by renewables and solar energy is projected to reduce this to near zero by 2030. • CO2e is the standard metric used by the IPCC and Ministry of Railways for measuring and reporting climate commitments under India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. • 💡 Option A (The size of the track) is wrong because track geometry is an engineering parameter with no relation to emissions measurement; Option C (Number of passengers) is wrong because ridership is a traffic metric; carbon footprint measures emissions, not passengers; Option D (Amount of coal left) is wrong because residual coal reserves are a fuel-stock statistic, not a measure of greenhouse gas output.

Correct Answer: B. Piezoelectric tiles

• **Piezoelectric tiles** = piezoelectric materials generate a small electric charge when subjected to mechanical stress (pressure or vibration); tiles made from these materials, when installed underfoot in high-footfall areas, convert the kinetic energy of pedestrian footsteps into usable electrical energy. • **Station pilot** — New Delhi Railway Station and a few other major stations have piloted piezoelectric floor tiles in concourses and busy entry passages; each tile generates approximately 5-7 watts per step, and a crowded corridor can produce kilowatts of power during peak hours. • The technology was originally developed by researchers and adapted for public infrastructure as part of the Smart Station initiative under Indian Railways sustainability roadmap. • 💡 Option A (Solar Panel) is wrong because solar panels convert sunlight, not footstep pressure, into electricity; Option C (Wind turbine) is wrong because wind turbines harness wind kinetic energy, not ground-level mechanical pressure from pedestrians; Option D (Battery) is wrong because a battery stores electricity but does not generate it from footsteps.

Correct Answer: B. Digitalizing complaints and reducing paper

• **Digitalizing complaints and reducing paper** = Rail Madad is a unified digital grievance redressal portal and app launched by Indian Railways in 2018, which allows passengers to lodge complaints, track their status, and give feedback entirely online, eliminating paper-based complaint forms. • **Paperless scale** — Rail Madad receives over 50,000 complaints per month; going fully digital avoids the use of millions of paper forms annually, which translates into saving several thousand trees and reducing printing energy and ink waste. • Beyond the green benefit, Rail Madad integrates with the 139 helpline and social media channels, ensuring real-time resolution of cleanliness, hygiene, and waste-management issues at stations and on trains. • 💡 Option A (Planting trees) is wrong because Rail Madad is a grievance technology platform, not a forestation or landscaping programme; Option C (Cleaning tracks) is wrong because track maintenance is handled by field engineering teams, not by a passenger-complaint app; Option D (Saving water) is wrong because water conservation at railway premises is managed by separate infrastructure and policy measures, not by the Rail Madad digital portal.

Correct Answer: A. Rainwater Harvesting

• **Rainwater Harvesting** = Indian Railways has made rainwater harvesting systems mandatory in all new station buildings and offices constructed after 2014, as part of compliance with Ministry of Environment guidelines and the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) norms. • **Mechanism** — rooftop collection channels divert monsoon runoff through filters into underground storage cisterns or recharge pits that replenish the local water table, reducing dependence on borewell extraction and municipal supply. • Major stations such as New Delhi, Mumbai CST, and Secunderabad have harvesting systems capable of storing lakhs of litres per rain event, which is then used for gardening, toilet flushing, and track washing. • 💡 Option B (Distillation) is wrong because distillation is an energy-intensive purification process used in laboratories and industries, not a practical large-scale water conservation method for railway buildings; Option C (Desalination) is wrong because desalination removes salt from seawater and is used only in coastal industrial facilities, not in inland railway construction; Option D (Boiling) is wrong because boiling is a disinfection method for drinking water, not a water conservation or harvesting technique.

Correct Answer: B. The process of pulling trains

• **The process of pulling trains** = traction in railways refers to the mechanism by which a locomotive generates tractive effort (pulling force) to haul coaches and wagons; the energy source powering this effort defines the traction type, either diesel or electric. • **Green significance** — electric traction draws power from overhead catenary lines energised at 25 kV AC; when this power comes from renewables like solar and hydro, electric traction produces zero direct CO2 emissions, making it the cornerstone of Indian Railways Net Zero 2030 plan. • India has shifted nearly 95% of its freight and passenger movement to electric traction after completing broad-gauge electrification, making traction electrification the single biggest carbon-cutting measure in the history of Indian Railways. • 💡 Option A (Track repairs) is wrong because track maintenance is called Permanent Way (P-Way) work, not traction; Option C (Passenger comfort) is wrong because passenger amenities fall under coach design and facilities management, entirely separate from traction engineering; Option D (Signal lighting) is wrong because railway signalling is powered by a separate low-voltage supply and is categorised under signalling and telecommunications, not traction.

Correct Answer: C. National Railways Award

• **National Railways Award** = the National Railways Award (Rashtriya Rail Puraskar) is the highest recognition given by the Ministry of Railways to railway employees and officers for outstanding contributions in areas including energy efficiency, sustainability, innovation, and service excellence. • **Green category** — a dedicated environment and sustainability category within the National Railways Award specifically honours innovations such as solar installations, bio-toilet designs, water recycling systems, and energy-saving tools proposed or implemented by railway staff. • The award ceremony is typically held around Rail Week (April 10-16) each year and serves as a powerful incentive for the 13-lakh-strong railway workforce to participate in the Green Railways mission. • 💡 Option A (Khel Ratna) is wrong because Khel Ratna (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) is India's highest sports honour awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, entirely unrelated to railways; Option B (Suresh Kalmadi Award) is wrong because no official railway green award by this name exists; Option D (Shram Vir Award) is wrong because Shram Vir is a gallantry-linked labour welfare recognition, not a railways innovation or green-ideas award.

Correct Answer: B. Science Express

• **Science Express** = Science Express is a specially designed mobile science exhibition train operated by the Ministry of Railways in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology; it travels across India displaying interactive exhibits on climate change, biodiversity, sustainability, and scientific innovations. • **Reach and phases** — since its first run in 2007, Science Express has covered over 1.5 lakh km across more than 500 stations in multiple phases (Climate Action Special, Biodiversity Special, etc.), reaching over 1.8 crore visitors including school and college students. • Each phase of Science Express is themed to a current environmental issue, making it a unique tool for science communication and environmental awareness aligned with India's climate action commitments. • 💡 Option A (Vande Bharat) is wrong because Vande Bharat is a high-speed passenger express train, not an educational or exhibition train; Option C (Green Express) is wrong because Green Express is not the name of any specific Indian Railways educational train; Option D (Paryavaran Express) is wrong because Paryavaran Express was an IGNOU-run environmental awareness train with a different mandate and is not the primary GEMS-associated eco-education train.