Hindalco has launched India's first all-aluminium freight rail rakes, helping fast-track the country's ambitious plan to modernise freight transportation and enable large carbon savings for Indian Railways. The gleaming rakes are 180 tonnes lighter than existing steel rakes, can carry 5-10% more payload, consume less energy with relatively negligible wear and tear to rolling stock and rails.The bottom discharge aluminium freight wagon, specifically designed to carry coal, is tipped to reduce the carbon footprint measurably. For every 100 kg weight reduction of the wagon, the lifetime CO2 saving is 8-10 tonnes. This translates to a saving of more than 14,500 tonnes of CO2 for a single rake.The new generation wagons, fabricated by BESCO based on RDSO-approved design are made from high strength aluminium alloy plates and extrusions, indigenously made at Hindalco's state-of-the-art rolling facility in Hirakud, Odisha with extrusions from the company's Renukoot plant in UP, leveraging its global technology. These all-aluminium rakes offer 19 per cent higher payload to tare weight ratio, which will have a transformative impact on the Railways' logistics and operational efficiency.With the Railways planning to deploy more than one lakh wagons in the coming years, the potential annual CO2 reduction could be to the tune of over 25 lakh tonnes, with say 15-20 per cent shift to aluminium wagonsHindalco is also planning to participate in manufacturing of aluminium coaches for high-speed passenger trains. Aluminium trains command a lion's share in the United States, Europe and Japan because of attributes such as sleek, aerodynamic designs and their ability to tilt at high speeds without going off the rails.
Hindalco has launched India's first all-aluminium freight rail rakes, helping fast-track the country's ambitious plan to modernise freight transportation and enable large carbon savings for Indian Railways. The gleaming rakes are 180 tonnes lighter than existing steel rakes, can carry 5-10% more payload, consume less energy with relatively negligible wear and tear to rolling stock and rails.The bottom discharge aluminium freight wagon, specifically designed to carry coal, is tipped to reduce the carbon footprint measurably. For every 100 kg weight reduction of the wagon, the lifetime CO2 saving is 8-10 tonnes. This translates to a saving of more than 14,500 tonnes of CO2 for a single rake.The new generation wagons, fabricated by BESCO based on RDSO-approved design are made from high strength aluminium alloy plates and extrusions, indigenously made at Hindalco's state-of-the-art rolling facility in Hirakud, Odisha with extrusions from the company's Renukoot plant in UP, leveraging its global technology. These all-aluminium rakes offer 19 per cent higher payload to tare weight ratio, which will have a transformative impact on the Railways' logistics and operational efficiency.With the Railways planning to deploy more than one lakh wagons in the coming years, the potential annual CO2 reduction could be to the tune of over 25 lakh tonnes, with say 15-20 per cent shift to aluminium wagonsHindalco is also planning to participate in manufacturing of aluminium coaches for high-speed passenger trains. Aluminium trains command a lion's share in the United States, Europe and Japan because of attributes such as sleek, aerodynamic designs and their ability to tilt at high speeds without going off the rails.
