Successful trial of double stack container train

New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) The Railways and Maruti Udyog Ltd (MUL) have successfully conducted trial run of a double stack container train on electrified route that will greatly help the car manufacturing company to economise its operations and save time in transporting vehicles.

''The trial, which was conducted over July 19-21, proved to be an unqualified success, with no glitch whatsoever,'' Railway Ministry sources said.

With this, India has become the first country to successfully run a double stack train on the electrified route. Last year such a train began its operation between Kanakpura (Jaipur) and Pipavav port in Gujarat, but it was on non-electrfied route.

The trial run was conducted on the Okhla Container Depot (Delhi)-Mathura-Alwar-Delhi route, and it turned out to be a total success, the sources said.

While MUL is making preparations to avail the service of double stack container train, it would take 6-8 months for its commercial operations.

During the trial run, specially designed containers of Pipavav Rail Corporation Ltd (PRCL) were used. These containers were laden with eight Alto cars. Five wagons of a goods train, capable of carrying containers, were pressed into service.

When the cars were inspected after the trial run of the train, Maruti engineers certified that the vehicles did not suffer even a minor scratch.

PRCL Vice-President (technical) Naresh Kumar said MUL had sent a proposal to the Railways to take its services provided the transportation of its vehicles matched the standard set during the trial run of the double stack train.

Maruti manufactures around 7.5 lakh cars every year out of which three lakh cars are sold in south India. It takes some 10-12 days to transport cars from Gurgaon in Haryana, where MUL's manufacturing unit is located, to Chennai. Further, it takes a minimum of 20 days if vehicles are to be transported to eastern states.

''It will take MUL only 2-3 days if the company starts transporting its vehicles through rail route to Chennai,'' Mr Kumar said, adding the company would also save a lot of money on transportation charges.

He said the Railways had developed special type of NMG coaches (open and flat) for the transportaton of cars. A rake comprising 25 NMG coaches can transport 120 cars while a double stack container train can transport as many as 360 cars.

A ministry official said if the Railways built infrastructure only for transporting Maruti cars, it would require running of three container trains everyday on the Delhi-Chennai route alone.

MUL spends Rs 250 crore every year on transportation of cars through surface transport. ''If the company entrusts its entire transportation business to Railways, it would be saving Rs 50 crore every year.'' In order to run double stack container train, railway engineers have to make modifications in international standards for manufacturing containers.

During the trial run, the height of containers was reduced by two feet so that two containers could be placed one upon another and there could still be some gap between them and the electric wires.

''The commercial operation of such a train will need at least 5-6 months. More importantly, it needs a green signal from the Ralways,'' the sources said.

UNI