Indian Railways ran their first long haul trains Trishul and Garuda on 7th and 8th October 2021, respectively, on the South Central Railway network. While a normal freight train consists of maximum 58 wagons, long haul trains on the other hand have a total of 177 wagons i.e. more than double.
According to the Indian Railways, these new trains will ‘provide a very effective solution to the problem of capacity constraints in critical rail sections.
The trains also aim at increasing productivity at key sections, saving path across congested routes, decrease transit time and better utilization of crew.
Trishul successfully ran from the Kondapalli railway station of the Vijayawada Division to the East Coast Railway zone’s Khurda Division and The South Central Railway followed it up with Garuda running from Raichur of Guntakal Division to Manuguru of Secunderabad Division.
The Railway Ministry said the South Central Railway zone is one of the five major freight loading railway zones on the Indian Railways network and it is important to maximize throughput available across the critical railway sections.
As of now, both the trains are employed for coal loading, meant for thermal power stations and therefore, embody empty open wagons. However, introduction of long haul trains will by and large strengthen the freight and logistics scenario in India, adding value to the recently launched Gati Shakti Yojna.
