Uncontainable strategy: Double Stack dwarf Containers can make CWC relevant again

By: RC Acharya

Published: November 18, 2019 3:34:17 AM

FCI along with other state agencies procures wheat and paddy under price support scheme. (owned by Indian Railways and others) and 98 FCI’s own sidings. For this massive logistics exercise, it relies heavily on the storage space and other facilities provided by CWC.

CWC, after the STC shutdown has recently engaged PBK Consultants Pvt Ltd to prepare a DPR for running of DSDC (Double Stack Dwarf Containers) on Railway’s electrified sections. This is now under active consideration by FCI. ISO containers are already used by Finland, Malaysia, and Canada to exports food grains, in India rice is exported using these containers. 

DSDC offers a greater loadability as compared to an ISO container, especially on electrified sections. Apart from the elimination of manual handling, the DSDC’s competitiveness for Rail transport reduces the breakeven distance from

800 kms to 450 kms. While both the Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight corridors offer economies of scale, higher envelope is available on the Western corridor.

RDSO (Research Design and Standards Organisation) has already given a pan-India speed certificate for running DSDC containers, only 1,450 km of Jamnagar-Ludhiana via Rewari route has been cleared for actual running. Minor adjustments of OHE were made to maintain adequate gap between the top of DSDC and the Catenary. 

Indian Railways has also condoned the dimensions of 4877 mm above rail level for movement of Dwarf Container in double-stack mode, which implies that these trains will not be considered as Over Dimensional Consignment (ODC) movement although they are beyond the prescribed Maximum Moving Dimensions (MMD ) permitted for the normal rolling stock.

In addition, routes with a potential for running DSDCs have been identified as Nabha-Ahmedabad-Vapi, Nabha-Hyderabad, Nabha-Bengaluru, Nabha-Pipavav-Mundra ports, Nabha-JNPT- Taloja, Nabha-Hajira and Hazira-Hyderabad via Akola on the newly converted Broad gauge section of Bhusawal Division, on Central Railway.

For the project to take off, certain modifications to the CWC warehouse/godowns would be needed, including demolition of the warehouse and providing cement concrete paved areas for stacking DSDC containers, loading/unloading machinery and storage silos. Overhead electrification wire would also need to be removed to provide access to fork lifts for loading/unloading.

Presently CWC has no less than 38 rail sidings which have the potential for DSDC movement. Alike bulk handling and transport system for cement from its manufacturing plant at Wadi to bulk storage Silos in KalamboIi near Mumbai has saved crores of rupees in transport and handling costs over last three decades for ACC. 

This initiative by CWC/FCI could bring in a revolution in cost-effective

food grain movement all over India, and in the process save them from being consigned to history.

Author is Former member, Railway Board.

How Indian Railways can lead the the charge towards Atmanirbhar Bharat

By: RC Acharya

Published: August 25, 2020 11:23 AM

Railways is now planning to speed up electrification, resulting in reduced demand for diesel locomotives, so a scale down of production at DLW will be inevitable.

Being Atmanirbhar or self-reliant has been Bharatiya Rail’s policy for over seven decades now. Bharatiya Rail’s long list of such ‘Atmanirbhar’ initiatives includes Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, set up in 1950, which started with the manufacture of steam locomotives changing over to electric ones in 1972.

The brainchild of BC Roy, the then CM of West Bengal, it set in motion a long-term plan for creating more than half a dozen such units. The cornerstone for all such collaborative ventures has always been ‘technology transfer’. It enabled Railways to build up a technology base on which it could upgrade in years to come.

In this march for self-reliance, the RDSO, the R&D arm of Indian Railways, at Lucknow, has also played a significant role. While in 1950, North British Locomotive of the UK was the collaborator for CLW, Swiss Elevator and Coach Manufacturing Co. Ltd. helped in setting up Integral Coach Factory, Chennai in 1955. This was followed by a collaboration with American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1961 to

manufacture diesel locomotives at DLW (Diesel Locomotive Works), Varanasi, UP.

A second coach plant viz. RCF (Rail Coach Factory) came up at Kapurthala in 1984, to manufacture highspeed coaches in collaboration with Linke Hoffman Busch of West Germany. Forming the bulk of Shatabdi and Rajdhani rakes, these provide superior riding and passenger comfort while running at the optimum speed of 130 kmph.

In 1984, Amsted Industries, US, provided the technical know-how to manufacture wheels and axles, at Wheel Axle Factory, Yellahanka, Bengaluru. A facility to make diesel components, Diesel Maintenance Works, was set up in 1982 at Patiala, Punjab. A similar one for electric locos was commissioned at Dankuni, West Bengal.

RSK (Rail Spring Karkhana), Sithouli near Gwalior, was set up to manufacture coil springs for wagon and passenger coach bogies. It was set up in 1989 on a turnkey basis by Ernst Komrowski & Co., Germany in technical collaboration with Grueber, a leading spring manufacturer, at a cost of Rs 54.04 crore. 

Another coach manufacturing unit, Rae Bareli, UP came up in 2012, bringing the list of Production units to eight. Over the years these excellent manufacturing facilities have also given India an edge to meet international requirements of rolling stock and locomotives.

ICF exported its first 47 bogies to Thailand in 1967 and has since exported 361 bogies and 447 coaches to over 13 Afro-Asian

countries. The last order from Sri Lanka for supplying 20 rakes of six coach DEMUs earned ICF Rs 126 crore.

With a fully computerised design & development cell equipped with the state-of-the-art computer facilities, it also uses strain gauge testing and squeeze test procedures for prototypes before the commencement of series production. Armed with an ‘ISO.9001’ certificate for its quality systems from TUV, Germany, ICF has been poised to enter the export market in a big way.

DLW, which has also been in the export business, has exported in all 137 locomotives to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tanzania, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sudan, Angola, Senegal and Mali. The last order for 16 of 3100hp cape gauge locomotives to Mozambique in 2008-09 increased its footprint in Africa.

Railways is now planning to speed up electrification, resulting in reduced demand for diesel locomotives, so a scale down of production at DLW will be inevitable.

However, ample spare capacity will be available to aggressively market DLW’s manufacturing capability and expertise to make an

impact in the exports market.

This will be in line with the PM’s recent initiative to become ‘manufacturer to the world’. Bharatiya Rail, in particular DLW, located in PM’s constituency, could successfully lead the charge.

The author is Former member, Railway Board