UNEP, Tata Power and Central Railway to launch EV Charging Points

The Central Railway, Mumbai, in partnership with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and Tata Power will jointly launch their novel green initiative to promote e-mobility in Mumbai. The joint venture has announced the installation of charging stations for electrical vehicles (EVs). These charging points would be available at all important railway stations in the island city, the suburbs, and the adjoining Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The collaborative venture aims to boost the overall e-mobility sector and encourage green mobility around railway stations, which are transport modal hubs. Further, they have already awarded contracts for railway stations including Thane, Dadar, Parel, and Byculla in the first phase of the green initiative. Similarly, for the second phase, tenders have been floated for the next set of stations including Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)), Bhandup, Panvel, and Kalyan. Areas at the entry-exit points of railway stations with parking facilities have been designated for the charging stations as per the availability.

Head of UNEP's India Office, Atul Bagai, said that a transition to e-mobility is one of the best solutions for combating the challenges of air pollution and the climate crises with electrification being a flexible, energy-efficient, and sustainable way to decarbonize the economy. India is taking initiatives in the right direction towards building a cleaner transport sector through this tri-party initiative. The UNEP is proud to be working closely with Central Railway and Tata Power to leverage cleaner energy sources and nudge India towards adopting them at a larger scale.