India has cancelled some passenger trains to allow for faster movement of coal carriages as the nation scrambles to replenish inventories at power plants. It is a bid to avoid a full-blown power crisis, which would have led to widespread blackouts across the country. A scorching summer is driving demand for coal, which generates about 70% of India’s electricity. Several parts of India are facing long hours of blackouts, while some industries are cutting output. The measure is temporary and passenger services will be restored as soon as possible.
Indian Railways is often blamed for disruptions in coal supplies. Lack of carriages makes it difficult to carry the fuel over long distances. Coal reserves at India’s power plants have declined almost 17% since the start of this month and are barely a third of the required levels. Electricity demand has jumped as temperatures have soared in many parts of India, prompting the weather department to issue heat-wave warnings. The country’s average temperature reached almost 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) in March, the highest on record for the month since authorities started collecting the data in 19
