Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 23: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday shared a video of Indian Railways’ first 1.3-km-long double-stack container train operated on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), carrying 360 TEUs from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai to Varnama in Gujarat’s Vadodara division.
Sharing the video on X, Vaishnaw described the operation as the first long-haul double-stack container train on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, running from JNPT to Vadodara.
The train departed from JNPT at 7 pm on August 21 and travelled around 422 km before reaching CONCOR’s Goods Cargo Terminal (GCT) at Varnama.
According to a railway release, the long-haul formation consisted of two double-stack rakes, each carrying 45+1 loads. The leading rake was hauled by locomotive number 60311 and had a tonnage of 1,817 tonnes, while the trailing rake was hauled by locomotive number 24690 with a tonnage of 2,105 tonnes.
Together, the two rakes transported 360 TEUs in a single movement, highlighting Indian Railways’ ability to move larger volumes of containerised freight through long-haul operations.
The operation is expected to accelerate container evacuation from JNPT by enabling a larger volume of cargo to be transported in a single train. This could reduce the number of train movements required to move the same quantity of freight, helping ease congestion at terminals and improve utilisation of railway infrastructure.
Long-haul double-stack trains can also reduce the requirement for locomotives, container flat wagons and other rolling stock. Faster evacuation of containers is expected to lower dwell time at ports and terminals while helping reduce overall freight transit time and transportation costs.
The electrically hauled train also strengthens Indian Railways’ efforts to promote greener freight transportation. By moving cargo that might otherwise require multiple trucks, such operations can reduce dependence on diesel-powered road transport, road congestion and vehicular emissions.
The milestone marks another step towards improving the efficiency and capacity of India’s dedicated freight rail network and strengthening rail-based movement of containerised cargo between major ports and inland destinations.