Trishul Freight Train: For the first time, Indian Railways has operated a long haul Train formed by clubbing together three Goods trains as one. According to a statement issued by the South Central Railway zone, the long haul train, named as “Trishul” to indicate clubbing of three trains together as one, was formed at Vijayawada and operated as a single train upto Duvvada, the last station bordering South Central Railways jurisdiction. The initiative was taken by the national transporter to speed up the operation of freight trains so that the wagons that are empty can be transported to their loading point in the least possible time.
According to South Central Railways, such initiatives help Indian Railways in meeting the demands of the customer expeditiously. Citing an example, the zonal railway said it helps in expeditiously meeting the demand of the power houses for Coal. This in turn helps in reducing the Wagon Turnaround time as well so that within a shorter time frame, the empty wagons are available for each loading journey.
Additionally, clubbing of three trains into one reduces the need of manpower. Thus, they can be utilized for other train operations when there is heavy movement of train services, the zonal railway mentioned. Running of three different trains as a single train also saves the precious path for operating other trains in the section, it further said. This is helpful particularly in saturated sections such as Vijayawada – Vishakhapatnam section, where there is continuous movement of Freight and Passenger trains.
Another major advantage of running trains in this way is reduced en route detention of the train. As a result of this, it enhances the train’s operational efficiency, thereby not only improving the average speed of the train but also minimizing the running time between the sections. According to South Central Railways, Trishul was operated at an average speed of around 50 km per hour. The long haul train consisted of 176 wagons and is meant for loading of the freight customers, the zonal railway added.
