On the occasion of India's 75th Independence Day, the Indian Railways' South East Central Railway (SECR) operated the Super Vasuki, the India's longest and heaviest freight train, with 295 packed wagons. The 3.5-kilometer-long Super Vasuki freight train, with 295 laden wagons hauled over 27,000 tonnes of coal between Korba in Chhattisgarh and Rajnandgao in Nagpur.
According to officials, the amount of coal carried by Super Vasuki is enough to operate a 3000 MW power plant for one whole day. This is three times the capacity of present railway rakes (90 cars, each carrying 100 tonnes), which can transport around 9,000 tonnes of coal in a single journey.
On August 15, the South East Central Railway train left Korba at 13:50 and traveled 267 kilometers in 11.20 hours. According to the national transporter, this is the longest and heaviest freight train ever run by the Railways, and it takes around four minutes to cross a station.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted a video of the train going past the Kothari Road station on his Twitter account. In contrast, Australia's BHP Iron Ore is the world's longest freight train with a length of 7.352 kilometers (also the longest train overall).
“To mark the beginning of Amrit Kaal, SECR formed and ran Super Vasuki, five loaded train long haul on 15th Aug 2022 as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebration,” the official statement by south western railway read.
On August 15, the freight train operated as part of the government's Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration.
AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV
It is a Centre endeavor to highlight the country's rich culture, celebrate its milestones, and recognize the contributions of its residents to India's progress. The 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' began on March 12, 2021, and will end on August 15, 2023, after a 75-week countdown to the 75th anniversary of Independence. It is dedicated exclusively to the people of India who have played a role in bringing India this far in its evolutionary path. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav's five themes are freedom and struggle, ideas, resolve, action, and successes.