Carmakers find Indian Railways a good option for transport: SUV carriers being developed – Times of India

Ministry of Railways has announced that Indian Rail The past few years have seen tremendous growth in its automobile transport services. During the first five months of FY 22-23, the volume of small passenger vehicles transported through railways has grown by 68 per cent annually. The growth in this space is also attributed to various initiatives and availability of exclusive privately owned wagons. Industry stakeholders like Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) And this automobile freight Train Operators (AFTO) have been instrumental in bringing in liberal policies that have led to this development.

Streamlined policies have allowed automobile manufacturers to own personal wagons that are designed to meet their needs. Railway being a clean mode of transport helps manufacturers reduce their carbon footprint while moving faster in bulk quantities. For perspective, the modal share of ‘domestic transport of passenger vehicles (cars)’ was just 1.5 per cent in 2013-14, it has increased to 16 per cent in 2021-2022. In August 2021, 320 Indian Railway rakes were loaded for transportation and this number increased to 508 in August 2022.
Presently, Indian Railways has a fleet of 90 New Modified Goods (NMG) rakes. In addition, 43 Bogie Covered Autorake Double Decker Wagon (BCACBM) rakes have also been approved and inducted under the AFTO scheme. The next step to accelerate the development is to transport the SUVs via rakes designed to accommodate them. A new design of Auto-carrier wagons by Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) is in the final stages of development.

Design modifications are also being done to the existing NMG wagons to facilitate easy and safe loading and unloading of vehicles. The amendments are being made based on the suggestions received from investors and logistics providers. Freight rates have also been revised to promote short lead traffic up to 1200 kms. The ministry also announced that more terminals are being set up to facilitate the increasing automobile traffic.