4 Matheran toy-train stations go green with solar panels, windmill
The electric supply from the renewable sources will bring down the hill railway station’s power bill by Rs. 2.07 lakh per year
In a welcome move for the eco-sensitive hill station, four stations of Central Railway’s Matheran Hill Railway in Maharashtra’s Raigad district have gone ‘green’ with the installation of solar power and wind energy plants.
With the installation of Green Energy System, the generation capacity of each system at four stations – Jummapatti, Waterpipe, and Aman Lodge is 75-80 kWh, while at Matheran, it is 680-690 kWh per month, Sunil Udasi, the Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway said in a statement on Friday.
All these four stations are now provided with a solar power plant of capacity 500-1000 Wp and windmill of capacity 6.1 KWp at Matheran including energy efficient LED lights and fans.
The electric supply from the renewable sources will bring down the hill railway station’s power bill drastically resulting in savings of Rs. 2.07 lakh per year, besides reducing its carbon footprints.
The Matheran Hill Railway is narrow-gauge heritage railway in Maharashtra.
The line covers a distance of 21 km, cutting a swathe through dense forest in the Western Ghats from Neral to Matheran, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Mumbaikars during summers.
To provide further impetus, the railway is planning to develop a heritage structure at Matheran along with a food court and retiring rooms. It is also in talks with IRCTC to include the famous toy-train as part of the Matheran tourism package.
The century-old Matheran Toy Train, which was shut since May 2016 following several derailments, resumed full services in January this year. It offers breathtaking views of the lush green and steep hills and deep valleys.
