Bhubaneswar: Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated India’s first aluminium freight rake – 61 BOBRNALHSM1 at Bhubaneswar Railway Station today. The rake’s destination is Bilaspur.
The rake has been fully designed and developed indigenously in collaboration with RDSO, HINDALCO and Besco Wagon. The Railways Ministry stated that since the iron industry consumes a lot of nickel and cadmium which comes from import, a proliferation of aluminium wagons will result in less import.
“At the same time, this is good for the local aluminium industry,” it added.
The following are the features of the aluminium rake:
- Fully Lockbolted construction with no welding on the superstructure.
- The tare is 3.25 tons lower than normal steel rakes, with 180 tons extra carrying capacity resulting in higher throughput per wagon.
- Higher payload to tare ratio 2.85.
- The reduced tare will reduce carbon footprint as lower consumption of fuel in empty direction and more transport of freight in the loaded condition. A single rake can save over 14,500 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime.
- 80% is the resale value of the rakes.
- The cost is 35% higher as the superstructure is all aluminium.
- Lower maintenance cost due to higher corrosion and abrasion resistance.
– global bihari bureau
