The Hindu Business Line : Moving cars: Pipavav Rail conducts trials with special containers

Locomotion
On specific diesel routes, triple stack containers can be moved
Pipavav Rail plans "field infringement identification" study on various identified rail routes

New Delhi March 9 Pipavav Rail Corporation Ltd has recently conducted trials for moving cars in specially designed containers that can accommodate more than double the number of cars per train than what is in use now. The trials were carried out along with an automobile manufacturing company, the name of which sources declined to divulge.

HIGHER CAPACITY

By using these specially designed containers in electrified routes, 360 small cars or 270 medium or large cars can be moved per train. On specific diesel routes, triple stack containers can be moved, thus accommodating 440 small cars or 405 medium or large sized cars per train.

This is because these containers are lower in height (about 6 feet 4 inches) and have slightly more length than the ISO-standard sized containers. ISO standard containers are sized at 8.5x40 feet and 9.5x40 feet.

Thus a rake with 45 flat wagons can actually move double stack containers, of the specially designed type, on the electrified train routes (under wire). These containers have been customised to suit the transportation of automobiles but can also be used to move other goods, said sources.

PRESENT CAPACITY

At present, the ISO standard sized containers are not used to move automobiles in the country because it is not commercially viable — each 40 feet equivalent unit container can accommodate three cars only and thus each train can accommodate 135 cars.

In fact, for moving cars, Indian Railways now uses specially designed coaches and each train can accommodate 120 cars of any size.

Pipavav Rail, which successfully conducted trials with a prototype container to check the capacity, now plans to undertake a "field infringement identification" study on various identified rail routes that connect automobile manufacturing hubs.

The idea is to take a physical survey of some of these routes and identify infringements and work towards removing them to ensure that trains carrying these containers pass through the routes, said sources.

With India emerging as an automobile-manufacturing hub, transportation firms are eyeing this segment to provide hinterland connectivity. On the Western segment, Indian Railways sees opportunity for moving cars with Maruti Suzuki plant near New Delhi; Mahindra, Bajaj and Tata Motors near Mumbai, amongst others.