Bhubaneswar, Oct 17 (KNN) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday flagged off the Railways’ first indigenously manufactured aluminium goods train rake from Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

As per reports, the rake is 180 tonnes lighter than existing steel rakes, resulting in increased speed and lower power consumption for the same distance.

Speaking on the occasion, Vaishnaw said that “this is a proud moment for the country and our drive for indigenisation as these lightweight aluminium wagons are a big innovation for the Indian Railways.”

“These wagons save 14,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions, have more carrying capacity, consume less energy and are corrosion-resistant. They are 100 per cent recyclable and even after 30 years, they will be as good as new. These aluminium wagons will enable us to achieve our climate goals,” he said.

The freight train rake has been made in collaboration with Besco Limited Wagon Division and aluminium major Hindalco.

“It has a lower carbon footprint for every 100 kg of weight reduction in wagons.The lifetime carbon saving was eight to 10 tonnes and this meant, saving of more than 14,500 tonnes of carbon for a single rake,” the railway said.

Hindalco in a statement said that with the Railways planning to deploy more than one lakh wagons in the coming years, the potential annual CO2 reduction could be over 25 lakh tonnes, with around a 15 to 20 per cent shift to aluminium wagons. This was a notable contribution to the country's sustainability goals, it said.

The new generation wagons fabricated by Besco, based on RDSO-approved designs, are made from high-strength aluminium alloy plates and extrusions indigenously manufactured at Hindalco's rolling facility at Hirakud in Odisha, leveraging its global technology.

Satish Pai, Managing Director, Hindalco Industries said, “The launch of India’s first aluminium freight rake is a testimony to our capability and commitment to offer smart and sustainable solutions for nation-building. Hindalco is steadfast in bringing together the best of global technologies with local resources to make Indian Railways’ logistics more efficient and contribute to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”  (KNN Bureau)