Prayagraj: Indian Railways achieved a major freight transportation milestone by successfully operating its first double-stack long-haul container train from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) to CONCOR’s GCT terminal at Varnama in Vadodara division, carrying 360 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) over a distance of around 422 km, on Friday. One TEU equals one standard 20-foot metal shipping container.The train departed from JNPT at 7 pm on Friday, with the long-haul formation comprising two double-stack rakes. The leading rake, hauled by locomotive 60311, carried 1,817 tonnes, while the trailing rake, hauled by locomotive 24690, carried 2,105 tonnes. Together, the two rakes transported 360 TEUs in a single movement.The operation is expected to improve the efficiency of containerised freight transportation by enabling a larger volume of cargo to be moved with fewer train movements. This will help optimise railway route capacity while reducing congestion at ports and freight terminals by facilitating faster evacuation of containers.Double-stack operations also reduce the requirement for locomotives and container flat wagons to transport an equivalent volume of freight. The larger carrying capacity of a single train can help reduce overall transit time and transportation costs.The initiative also supports railway’s efforts towards greener freight transportation. Since the train was electrically hauled, it reduced dependence on diesel-powered road transport. A single long-haul double-stack train can carry cargo equivalent to a large number of trucks, helping cut diesel consumption, road congestion and vehicular emissions.“The milestone underscores railways’ efforts to strengthen freight infrastructure, improve logistics efficiency and encourage a shift towards rail-based transportation for long-distance containerised cargo,” said chief public relations officer, North Central Railway, Dr Shivam Sharma.
