North Eastern Railway’s longest freight train: North Eastern Railway (NER) has operated its longest-ever freight train, ‘Awadh Mahashakti’. The train, operated by the Lucknow division, is aimed at increasing the railway’s freight carrying capacity.

On August 20, the zonal railway operated the long-haul freight train from Gonda to Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. The train covered a distance of around 160 km in 3 hours and 50 minutes. It was operated at an average speed of 42 kmph.

Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Sumit Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of North Eastern Railway (NER), said that ‘Awadh Mahashakti’ was formed for the first time in NER. He added that the train was formed at the Gonda Yard of NER’s Lucknow division. The train consists of three rakes of BCN empty wagons, comprising 129 wagons, and three engines.

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The railway official further stated that the nearly 2-km-long freight train departed from Gonda at 1:50 pm on Thursday and reached Sitapur, around 160 km away, at 5:40 pm.

The Gonda-Burhwal-Sitapur section is part of HDN-4 (High-Density Network-4), an important railway route connecting Delhi with Guwahati. The section plays a crucial role in rail connectivity between the northern and eastern regions of the country.

“This long haul of 3 rakes is NER’s first train. This long haul saved 2 passages as three rakes travelled in one passage. This is important for supplying BCN empties for loading in northern region,” the CPRO told Indianexpress.com.

129 Wagons, 3 Engines: North Eastern Railway runs its longest ‘Awadh Mahashakti’ freight train

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Credit: North Eastern Railway pic.twitter.com/bLtl0CUPTv

Rudrastra – India’s longest freight train

Last year, Indian Railways operated its longest-ever freight train, ‘Rudrastra’, which was about 4.5 km long. The train was formed by combining six empty BOXN rakes, comprising 354 wagons and seven engines.

The freight train was operated by the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Division of East Central Railway (ECR). It covered around 200 km from Ganjkhwaja station to Garhwa Road station in five hours, at an average speed of 40 kmph.