KONDAPALLI

- Under mission Triveni Four long haul trains operated in three different directions over the Zone

South Central Railway successfully operated four long haul trains in three different directions over the Zone. This innovative initiative has been named as Triveni, which stands as the confluence of three (or more) sacred rivers. This unique initiative has been taken up by the Vijayawada Division and formed four long haul trains in a single day. Each long haul train was formed by clubbing two goods trains and these goods trains are twice longer than the normal composition of freight trains, providing a very effective solution to the problem of capacity constraints in critical sections.

Out of four long haul trains, two long haul trains each consisting of 118 open wagons (58 +58 BOX N wagons) were formed and despatched to Talcher towards Visakhapatnam direction from Vijayawada, with an average lead of around 900 Kms. Another long-haul train despatched from Adani Krishnapatnam Port by clubbing two open wagon trains (each consisting of 59 + 59 BOX N Wagons), passing through Obulavaripalli and destined to Kesoram Cement with a lead of 645 Kms. The third direction is from Vijayawada to Kondapalli by clubbing two covered wagon trains (BCN rakes). These four long haul trains were despatched in all the three possible directions from Vijayawada.

The initiative was taken to speed up the operation of Goods trains, so that the both empty and loaded wagons can be transported to their loading/ unloading points in the least possible time, while also meeting the demands of the freight customers. Running of long haul trains contributes in reducing the Wagon Turnaround time and assists in enhancing the through put of the freight loading. In addition, clubbing of two trains into a single train reduces the manpower need, so that they can be utilised for other train operations when there is heavy movement of trains. Operation of two trains as a single train also saves the precious path for operating other trains in the busy and saturated sections. The major advantage of running long haul trains is it helps in reducing the enroute detention resulting in improved operational efficiency, which helps in increasing the average speed of both freight trains.

Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway has appreciated the Officers and staff of Vijayawada Division for adopting innovative initiatives in running of freight trains which will improve the operating efficiency. He opined that running of long-haul trains will help Railways in utilising the Rolling stock optimally and also assists in transporting the bulk commodities in short timeframe.