Vadodara, August 23: Indian Railways has successfully operated its first double-stack long-haul container train from Jawaharlal Nehru Port, located near Mumbai, to the GCT terminal of Concor in Varanama, Vadodara division. The train covered a distance of approximately 422 kilometers while transporting 360 TEU containers.
This train departed from JNPT on the evening of August 21 at 7 PM and traveled along the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. This operation is considered a significant step toward increasing container freight capacity in a single rail journey.
The long-haul train consisted of two double-stack racks. The front rack traveled with a load structure of 45+1 on the JNPT-Vadodara route, pulled by locomotive number 60311, with a total weight of 1,817 tons. The rear rack also had a load structure of 45+1, towed by locomotive number 24690, weighing 2,105 tons. Together, both racks carried a total of 360 TEU containers, with each rack holding 180 TEU containers.
The initiative aims to expedite and enhance the efficiency of container evacuation from JNPT and other freight terminals. By sending more goods in a single train, congestion at terminals will be reduced, and containers will not have to wait for extended periods.
With increased carrying capacity, fewer rail cars will be needed to transport the same volume of goods. This will lead to better utilization of available rail route capacity, faster movement of containers, and reduced overall transportation time.
The impact will also extend to road transport. As this train is electrically operated, reliance on diesel-powered road transport will decrease. Transporting a large number of containers in one train will reduce the number of trucks needed for the same amount of goods. This will help lower diesel consumption, reduce road congestion, and minimize pollution from vehicles.
This initiative comes at a time when there is a focus on operating freight transport on the country’s dedicated freight corridors with greater capacity and efficiency. The successful operation from JNPT to Varanama demonstrates that double-stack and long-haul trains can play a crucial role in strengthening connectivity between ports and the country’s interior regions, as well as enhancing the capacity of rail-based container logistics.
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