A trial run of a double-stack freight train on the newly built 306-km-long Rewari-Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) was held on December 27, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation India Ltd (DFCCIL) said in a statement.

The section between Madar (Ajmer) in Rajasthan and Kishangarh (Rewari) in Haryana contains 16 major bridges and viaduct, 270 minor bridges, four rail flyovers, 19 road overbridges and 178 road under bridges eliminating 148 level crossings.

Double-stack rail transport is a form of intermodal freight transport where railroad cars carry two layers of intermodal containers.

There are nine newly built Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) stations in the section - six crossing stations and three junction stations.

The total cost of work on the section is Rs 3,918 crore, excluding land acquisition.

“The DFCCIL will run freight trains at a maximum speed of 100 km/h as against the current maximum speed of 75 km/h on Indian Railways tracks, whereas the average speed of freight trains will also be increased from the existing speed of 26 km/h on Indian Railways lines to 70 km/h on Dedicated Freight Corridors,” the statement said.

The opening of the stretch will benefit various industries in Rewari, Manesar, Narnaul, Phulera and Kishangarh areas. In addition to this, the container depot of CONCOR in Kathuwas will also come on the DFC map and get advantage in terms of faster throughput.

Highlights of the corridor

* Heavy haul train operation with 32.5 tonne axle load has been envisaged for the first time in India (currently used only in the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, China, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and Norway).

* Double-line electric (2x25 KV) track to undertake higher haulage at higher speeds.

* Automated New Track Construction (NTC) machine with a record single-day track laying of more than 3 km.

* More powerful locomotives 7,000 kW (9,000 HP) CO-CO six axles.

* High-rise Over Head Equipment (OHE) of 7.4 m height (existing 5.5 m) for double-stack container movement on flat wagons.

* Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) for safe and efficient operation.

* Elimination of road crossing.

* Connecting Multi-Modal Logistic Hubs and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

* Reduced energy consumption using latest technology.

* Exclusive operation for freight trains.

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is a broad gauge freight corridor under construction by the Indian Railways. It will connect New Delhi and Mumbai. This corridor will cover a distance of 1,483 km and would be electrified with double-line operation. A single-line branch is proposed from Pirthala Junction to Tughlakabad. This will run parallel to the existing Delhi-Mathura main line. The route from Rewari to Dadri will be an entirely new line and Dadri will be connected to Khurja Junction, which will link this corridor to the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store