The Hindu Business Line : Pipavav to Jaipur route gets ready

The Pipavav-Jaipur rail route is likely to become an attractive proposition for container operators with the route almost ready for movement of double stack containers.

The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has given an approval to run double stack containers on the route and so has the Indian Railways' subsidiary, Research Design and Standardisation Organisation (RDSO).

"The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety has approved the proposal to run double stack containers on the Pipavav-Jaipur rail route," said Mr R.C. Dubey, Managing Director, Pipavav Rail Corporation Ltd (PRCL). The approval from the Regional Commissioner of Safety (in Northern and North Western Railways) is expected shortly, he added.

The 950-km long Pipavav-Jaipur route includes 271 km of Pipavav Rail Corporation Ltd.

PRCL is a 50:50 joint venture between the Indian Railways and Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd that was set up to construct, maintain and operate the 271-km-long broad gauge railway line connecting the Pipavav port in Gujarat to Surendranagar Junction on the Western Railway. Approval from RDSO is also in place. The organisation responsible for conducting research and establishing standards for the Indian Railways had done an oscillation test for the project on the PRCL's rail track section.

"RDSO has approved the proposal to run wagons with double stack containers at a speed of up to 75 kilometre per hour (kmph)," he said.

Single stack containers can be run at a speed of up to 100 kmph, though in actual practice, lower speeds are used.

However, weight load limits for wagons carrying double stack containers are same as that for single stack containers.

All the physical obstructions in the Delhi-Jaipur route have been cleared, said Mr Dubey.

The Railways had asked PRCL to conduct a study to identify the physical infringements in running double stack containers for specified routes.

As Railways opens up the containerised services sector, making routes ready for running double stack containers makes the sector attractive as it allows a single rake to carry double the number of twenty-feet equivalent units.

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