Indian Railways to liberalise wagon design policy

Indian Railways will issue a liberalised wagon design policy in the coming fortnight. An official statement said the new policy will “provide an industry-friendly framework for developing specialized wagons tailored to the requirements of various commodities.”

Under the proposed policy, industries can modify wagon designs as per their needs. The responsibility of ensuring wagon safety will remain with Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS).

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“These reforms are likely to connect many new industries with Indian Railways,” an official statement said, adding, the new wagon design policy will advance green railways and logistics. Rail transport is already 90 percent more environmentally friendly than road transport.

A call to change the policy after recent discussions between Indian Railways, various industries, trade bodies, and major freight customers associated with commodities that have significant potential for rail transportation. “Industry representatives suggested that if wagon designs are customized according to the specific handling, loading, unloading, and transportation requirements of different commodities, rail transport could be adopted on a much wider scale,” the statement said.

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The meeting also highlighted that the success of recently developed specialized wagons for commodities such as cement and salt has demonstrated the importance of designing wagons in accordance with industry operational requirements. Commodity-specific wagons have improved loading, unloading, and transportation efficiency, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of rail logistics, the statement added.

Besides new designs, the national transporter has also been contemplating allowing maintenance of privately owned wagons by non-railway entities.