Indian Railways’ South Central Railway(SCR) zone for the first time clubbed together three goods trains and operated them as a single long haul goods train.
The train, named as “Trishul” to indicate three trains being operated as a single train, was formed at Vijayawada and operated as a single train upto Duvvada, the last station bordering SCR jurisdiction.
The initiative was taken to speed up the operation of goods trains so that the empty wagons can be transported to their loading point in the least possible time. Initiatives like these help in meeting the demands of the customer expeditiously. For example, it helps in expeditiously meeting the demand of the power houses for Coal. This in turn also helps in reducing the wagon turnaround time so that the empty wagons are available within a shorter time frame for each loading journey.
In addition clubbing of three trains into a single train reduces the manpower need, so that they can be utilised for other train operations when there is heavy movement of trains. Operation of three trains as a single train also saves the precious path for operating other trains in the section. This is particularly helpful in saturated sections like Vijayawada – Vishakhapatnam, where there is continuous movement of goods and passenger trains.
Another advantage of operating trains in this manner is the reduced enroute detention of the train. As a result, it enhances the operational efficiency of the train movement, thereby not only improving the average speed but also reducing the running time between the sections. The train was operated at an average speed of around 50 kmph. The train consisted of 176 wagons and is meant for loading of the freight customers.
Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway has appreciated the Officers and staff of Vijayawada Division for operating the long haul “Trishul” goods train from Vijayawada to Waltair Division of East Coast Railway. He opined that running of long-haul trains will help Railways in utilising the rolling stock optimally and also assists in transporting the bulk commodities in short timeframe. Running of these trains will improve the overall freight performance of the Zone and it is a win-win situation to both Railways as well as freight customers, he added.
Meanwhile, Indian Railways’ South Eastern Central Railway(SECR) zone has the record of operating the longest freight train on the Indian Railways network.
The total length of the freight train was around 3.5 kilometers after joining the five rakes and it was named ‘Vasuki’. The distance between Bhilai to Korba is 224 kilometers and the long-haul freight train named ‘Vasuki’ covered the whole distance with five rakes of a freight train.
Source : Live Mint
