Railways plan to raise wagon axle load

In a series of moves that can lead to about 24 per cent increase in the loading capacity of freight trains, the railways plan to increase the axle-load limit for wagons to 23 tonnes.

The rise in the limit from the present 20.3 tonnes will mean an increase of 600 tonnes of freight for a train with a normal 60-wagon length. This move is likely to bring relief to the railways that have been struggling to meet customer demands for additional wagons.

Trains with aluminum wagons, providing greater space inside, will be able to accommodate an additional 240 tonnes of goods. The ministry also plans to order five aluminum rakes worth Rs 480 crore in the next fiscal on a pilot basis.

"Just by allowing a higher axle load, the railways can carry nearly 80 million tonnes of additional traffic in a year, which can fetch a Rs 4,000-crore incremental revenue," a ministry official told Business Standard.

The rise in axle load will also facilitate the introduction of double stack containers on selected routes, which will enable the railways to handle the booming container traffic. A feasibility study on introducing double stack containers in Gujarat has recommended that the possibility of allowing greater axle load be explored.

"Even in the US, tracks with similar specification as those in India have an axle load of about 29 tonnes," the report has said.

The railway ministry, however, has been divided over the issue of raising the axle-load limit.

A section of officers were of the opinion that such a step could be taken for safety reasons, only if tracks were further strengthened.

Others, however, pointed out, even in the early 20th century, when steam engines were used and infrastructure less sophisticated, 23 tonnes of axle-load were allowed.

In addition, they argued that at present, the 23-tonne limit was allowed for certain locomotives and some types of wagons. If safety was a concern, then such a distinction should not be made, they said.

Even when officials from the Asian Development Bank inspected the tracks, they recommended that India could raise the load limit without any fear.

The ministry has taken a middle path by proposing a 23-tonne limit, even though tracks can take heavier load, officials say.