The Hindu Business Line : Railway team to visit US

The Railway Board will be sending a high-level delegation to the US, most probably in the third week of March, to identify the appropriate technology for building wagons suitable for movement on the proposed freight corridors.

The delegation will be headed by Mr R.R. Bhandari, Member (Mechanical).

The other members will include, among others, Mr R. Sivadasan, Financial Controller, and two Executive Directors, one in charge of wagons and the other in charge of traffic transportation.

The delegation will inspect the operation on the high haul freight corridors in the US and visit some of the manufacturing facilities for high capacity and high productivity wagons at Dallas (Texas) and Portland (Oregon).

TECH TRANSFER PLANS

The delegation is expected to identify the technology and examine how to transfer it to India for the local wagon manufacturers, either through RDSO or others.

In addition to the types of wagons needed to meet the future requirement, the delegation will also examine the nature and types of tracks suitable to support the movement of high capacity wagons at a high speed on the proposed corridors.

TENTATIVE PROPOSALS

The tentative plan of the Railways, according to informed sources, is to use the proposed western freight corridor mainly for haulage of heavy duty double stack container trains, while the proposed eastern freight corridor will be used mainly for transportation of bulk materials such as coal, iron ore and other minerals.

In other words, there will be requirement not only for various types of wagons but also improved tracks with augmented capacity.

The western corridor, according to sources, might have dieselised tracks as double track container trains will move on it, while the one on the east might be electrified route to facilitate movement of the bulk materials.

However, all these and other details will be sorted out in the detailed feasibility report to be prepared by the Rail India Technical & Economic Services (RITES).