Maruti Suzuki India Limited and Indian Railways flagged off the new-high capacity railway rake (technically called BCACBM) in Gurgaon. To be specific, the new rake is ‘Flexi deck auto-wagon’ which is designed by Indian Railway’s Research Design and Standards Organization to carry more cars than before. Organization had said that the new intervention will now be able to carry (318 cars) over the 265 cars carrying capacity of current twin-decker rakes, which means 20% addition in the overall volume.
The new rake is also flexible, which can be adjusted to various dimensions so as to fit the cars of various sizes, which can be now moved on the railway tracks at a speed of 95 kmph as compared to 65 kmph of the existing rakes.
The 1st Flexi deck auto-wagon rake consisting of 27 wagons flagged off to Nidavanda, Bangalore from Gurgaon carrying a mixed load of Maruti Suzuki cars including Swift, Dzire, Alto, Wagon R and Omni.
On the occasion of the flag off, Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki said, “We are delighted to have initiated this contemporary mode of transport to the Indian automobile industry. Indian Railways deserves all the credit for their foresight and tremendous enthusiasm and co-operation to make this initiative move from a concept to reality within a short span of around 36 months.”
On the occasion Mr. M.M. Singh, Chief Operating Officer (Production), Maruti Suzuki said, “The induction of ‘flexi deck auto-wagon rake’ will start a new chapter in automotive logistics in the country. Trains are one of the fastest, safest and eco-friendly modes of transportation. With these newly designed rakes we have been able to increase the load carrying capacity along with a high flexibility to cater to a variety of vehicle dimensions. We are happy that Indian Railways supported the initiative of Maruti Suzuki to enhance the country’s transportation infrastructure.”
