Image Source : PTI Vande Bharat parcel train
After Vande Bharat Express trains, the Indian Railways is planning to start a faster and smoother Vande Bharat parcel service for catering to movement of small – but valuable and fragile – goods through its network. Officials aware of the plan told Ecomomic Times that these faster trains will run as scheduled services over routes where high value items such as mobile phones, and perishable but expensive export goods such as roses and orchids, move through the national transporter.
The Railways officials said that the designs for these trains are being finalised for approvals and will build upon the Vande Bharat platform and will be oriented for parcel movement.
He further added that the Vande Bharat trains are more expensive and comfortable than conventional Indian Railways rolling stock. He went on to add that there needs to be a higher value proposition for these trains to carry goods and will run over routes that can be covered within 12-24 hours to ensure speedier delivery of products.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha this week that right now, there are over 136 Vande Bharat train services being operational on the Indian Railways network.
Replying to a query in Lok Sabha, he said that further manufacturing of Vande Bharat Chair Car rakes is under progress and Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains for long and medium Interstate journey have also been planned.
He also added that 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are under production and Indian Railways has the provision of another 50 Vande Bharat Sleeper rakes. Apart from these plans, contracts for manufacturing of 200 Vande Bharat sleeper rakes have also been awarded.
In the meantime, Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the nationwide implementation of the Integrated Track Monitoring System (ITMS) to modernise railway infrastructure and enhance safety.
He also highlighted the importance of adopting advanced technology to improve track maintenance and ensure better working conditions for trackmen.
he said the new features of these monitoring system include contactless laser sensors to assess track alignment and geometry, high-speed cameras to detect defects, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) for 3D mapping.
