On 11th June 2020, Indian railways created a benchmark by setting a new world history on the successful running of the first Double-decker Container Train with a contact wire of 7.57-metre height on its high reach pantograph in the high rise Over Head Equipment (OHE) electrified territory on the western railway from Palanpur and Botad stations in Gujarat.
What is a pantograph?
The pantograph is an apparatus which mounted on the roof of the electric train to collect power through with an overhead tension wire.
Note: The double-stack dwarf container service was introduced in 2018 at the Rajkot division of Western Railway. In December 2019, successful conduction of the trial run of double-decker freight trains on the newly-built Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district was done.
Indian railway initiatives during the Pandemic:
i. From 1st April 2020 to 10th June 2020
- Indian Railways has transported 178.68 million tonnes of commodities 24X7 uninterrupted in freight trains across the country.
- The government also supplied 12.74 million tonnes of food grains this year as opposed to 6.79 million last year around the same period.
ii. From 24.03.2020 to 10.06.2020
- More than 32.40 lacs wagons carried supplies of which 18 lacs wagons carried essential commodities like food grains, milk, fruits and vegetables, petroleum etc.
iii. Also during, 22.03.2020 to 10.06.2020 a total of 1,39,196 tonnes of consignments in 3,897 parcel trains have been sent out by the Indian Railways of which 3,790 are time-tabled trains.
About Indian Railways:
Union Railway Minister -Piyush Goyal
Minister of State -Suresh Channabasappa Angadi
