The semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express freight train will be launched by Indian Railways shortly. The first such train will most likely run between the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai regions.
“These services are planned to be provided by new ‘Freight EMU rolling-stock built on the Vande-Bharat platform, with the first rake expected to enter service very soon,” the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Thursday.
The freight train will function as a superfast parcel service, capturing high-value and time-sensitive cargo consignments that are currently being moved via other modes of transportation. This was decided, and the information was communicated through letters from the Railway Board.
The new freight trains are designed to transport palletized containers at a speed of 160 km/h. The 1,800-mm wide rakes would have provisions for loading reefer containers for temperature-sensitive cargo, a pneumatically retractable roller floor system with a locking facility for easy pallet handling, and a total payload of 264 tonnes.
According to reports, the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, which manufactures the majority of the Vande Bharat trains, will roll out the first freight EMU rake on the Vande Bharat platform in December.
Based on interactions with potential customers, the train’s first service is likely to be launched. Zonal railways have been asked to identify and interact with potential customers, as well as identify terminals for the initial services.
The zonal railways have also been tasked with identifying additional potential routes for future services.
