Gurgaon-Mundra Port: Double stack train to start

Now, double-stack train to Mundra

PTI, Jan 13, 2011, 10.37pm IST

Keeping in mind the industry requirement, railways will soon introduce double-stack container service between Gurgaon and Mundra port in Gujarat. All necessary preparations to run the double-stack container train are complete and it will be made operational anytime after getting the Research Designs and Standards Organisation ( RDSO) approval, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The double-stack container service will give a boost to the transportation of cars, steel, medicines and consumer goods for export and import.

Once operational, the 1198 km long Gurgaon-Mundra section will be the second route to have double-stack container service in Indian Railways.

The first double-stack train became operational in March 2006 between the 950 km long Jaipur-Pipavav route by Western Railway.

To ensure the double-stack trains operation, a footover bridge at Pataudi along the Gurgaon-Mundra route has been removed, the official said.

Since the operation of the double-stack train, there has been a demand for more such train as it saves time in moving goods and reduces haulage charge for the operator.

Railways will be carrying about 34 million tonnes of goods in double-stack trains in the current fiscal.

The volume of traffic will be increased once the Gurgaon-Mundra route is operational, said the official.

The ports of Mundra, Pipavav and Kandla in Gujarat are connected to the entire northern hinterland of Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Himachal by non-electrified rail route.

Railways also give a discount of 25 per cent on haulage cost for the double-stack container movement.

Double-stack container movement helps in reducing terminal congestion. It also reduces the number of trains and cost of unit transportation, said the official.

Though currently double-stack containers run only in non-electrified routes, the proposed dedicated freight corridor will have double-stack containers on the electrified route.

Read more: Now, double-stack train to Mundra – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Now-double-stack-train-to-Mundra/articleshow/7279295.cms#ixzz1B1i97vhr