To move coal fast by freeing tracks, Indian Railways cancels 753 passenger trains amid shortage  

With India facing acute coal shortage, Indian Railways, which is run by the central government, has cancelled over 753 passenger trains, the government said.  

The government-run Coal India has already hiked production by 27.2% in April to meet the demand, the federal coal ministry said.  

The passenger trains have been cancelled to help the coal reach different destinations in the country on time by freeing up the rail tracks, the officials said on Friday.  

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In total, Coal India accounts for around 80% of coal output of the country.  

This comes as the Indian government is making concerted efforts to overcome its worst power crisis in recent years. 

"The government has decided to cancel ... passenger trains in order to prioritise the movement of coal rakes (trains) across the country to deal with an unprecedented shortage of the vital input at thermal power plants," the government said.  

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The government has not said how long the train service will be cancelled for, media reports said.  

Around 75% power generation is carried out with the help of coal in India.   

And these power plants use over three-fourths of the more than one billion tonnes of coal consumption annually.   

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(With inputs from agencies)