Railways set to operate triple stack container trains

New Delhi, Feb 23 (UNI) Breaking new grounds in its freight revenue earning capacity, the Railways is all set to operate triple stack container trains which will considerably enhance its capacity to transport freight traffic.

An announcement in this regard is likely to be made in the Railway Budget, to be presented in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

At present, the only route on which double stack container trains operate is between Jaipur and Pipavav port.

Rail Bhavan sources said the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the Lucknow-based research organisation of the Railways, had already conducted successful experiments on the running of multi-stack container trains.

Railway engineers have also succeeded in reducing the size of the double stack container trains so that they are able to operate on electrified routes.

''Once these trains become operational, the revenue of Railways from freight transportation will dramatically improve because of a quantum jump in its capacity to carry freight,'' sources said, adding, ''This is going to open yet another avenue for earning revenue by the Railways.'' A single rake of a container train comprises 125 cars but in the case of a triple stack train, the strength of a rake will go up to 360 cars.

In the railway systems of developed countries like the US, Russia, Germany, Japan and Canada, double-stack and triple-stack container trains are already operational. However, in India, double stack container trains were introduced only last year between Jaipur and Pipavav port in Gujarat.

At present, it is not possible to operate double stack container trains on the trunk route for freight operations because these are electrified routes and such trains will collide with the overhead electric wires.

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