Indian Railways has set a new record by operating its longest and heaviest freight train ever. Called Super Vasuki, it was operated by the South East Central Railway zone of Indian Railways.
“To mark the beginning of Amrit Kaal, SECR formed and ran Super Vasuki, five loaded train long haul on August 15, 2022, as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebration,” an official said, adding this was the longest and heaviest freight train ever run on Indian Railways.
The ‘Super Vasuki’ train, was operated on August 15 to mark Independence Day. It was formed and operated by the South East Central Railway zone.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted saying, “Super Vasuki - India’s longest (3.5km) loaded train run with six locos and 295 wagons and of 25,962 tonnes gross weight.”
Previously, in January and October last year, SECR had operated record long-haul record freight trains Vasuki and Trishul, respectively and the 2.8 km long SheshNaag train before that..
Coal transport
The Super Vasuki train, which was set up by joining five rakes, ran from Bhilai to Korba in Chhattisgarh and transported coal.
Coal is one of the key freight commodities transported by the railways, and has become an even bigger priority following the power crisis earlier this year. This July, the national transporter achieved incremental loading of 11.54 MT in coal. The loading of Coal (both domestic and imported) to power houses increased by 13.2 MT in July, with 47.98 MT Coal being moved to power houses.
As part of its vision to carry higher loads over greater distances, Indian Railways has been testing longer freight trains. Running multiple rakes together is expected to help save transportation time and also facilitate in decongestion of the rail network.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor, once fully operational, is also expected to give a boost to higher load and longer freight trains.