Western Railway becomes first Zonal Railway to run the double-stack dwarf container train long haul. These dwarf containers can hold a volume of approximately 67% more when compared to traditional containers.

Double-Stack Long-Haul Container train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the 306 km Rewari - Madar Section of  the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) on 7th January 2021 at 11 am via video conferencing.

PM Modi will also flag off the world's first Double-Stack Long-Haul 1.5 km long Container Train hauled by electric traction from New Ateli - New Kishangarh during the event. Governors and Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Haryana along with Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal will also be present at the occasion.

The PM even tweeted about the same, highlighting the importance of the project.

Here are a few things to know about the two events:

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor

1. The dedicated freight corridor is 306 km long and runs between Rewari in Haryana and Madar in Rajasthan
2. Corridor will be used for the exclusive operation of freight trains
3. Freight trains will run at a maximum speed of 100 km/hour
4. Will provide a quantum boost to the freight and logistics of the region
5. Will connect Multi-Modal Logistics Hubs and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor with Northern India

According to the PMO, the Rewari - Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is situated in Haryana (approx. 79 Km, in Mahendragarh and Rewari districts) and Rajasthan (approx. 227 Km, in Jaipur, Ajmer, Sikar, Nagaur and Alwar districts). It consists of nine newly built DFC stations in which six are crossing stations viz. New Dabla, New Bhagega, New Sri Madhopur, New Pachar Malikpur, New Sakun and New Kishangarh while the other three in Rewari, New Ateli and New Phulera are junction stations.

World's first Double-Stack Long-Haul 1.55-km-long Container train

1. The train with its various attributes is the first such train in the world
2. For the first time in India, heavy haul train operation with 25 Ton Axle load
3. In terms of container units, the wagons will carry four times as compared to the current capacity
4. Will reduce the transportation cost because of more weight per wagon
5. Will facilitate assured time-bound delivery at ports and faster evacuation of cargo from the ports

Double Stack Long Haul Container Train Operation will have an enhanced axle load of 25 tons.  It has been designed for DFCCIL by RDSO’s wagon department. Trial runs of BLCS-A and BLCS-B wagon prototypes have been completed. The design will maximize capacity utilization and uniformly distributed and point loading.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has tweeted the Youtube lin on which citizens can watch PM Modi inaugurate the Freight Corridor as well as flag-off the world's first double-deck long-haul container train.

The stations on the DFC will not be merged with the Indian Railway stations that also run passenger traffic. The DFC stations will have a computerised control room. The display will show even freight coaches lined up at the yard, as well as on the station and on tracks. It will be a highly advanced kind of control. According to the PMO, the entire exercise is meant to give a boost to economic activity that will benefit Indian businesses in the long run.