State-owned heavy equipment manufacturer BEML expects the rail and metro segment, along with defence, to be the biggest contributor to its revenue in the near future as it looks to bag export orders for Vande Bharat and metro trains in a few years. The priority is to roll out the indigenous Vande Bharat trains first. But next year, we will try and should expect something on the export front, BEML chairman Shantanu Roy said. The company, which reorganised operations this fiscal, is keen to accelerate the make in India initiative and working on a few opportunities in the Middle East, South America, and the Asean region for rail and metro exports.Contact: BEMLTel: 80 2296 3250Website: www.bemlindia.inChennai Metro's ventilation design shrinks underground stations by 40 percentSix years after the city’s largest metro station was built in phase-1 project at Central, Chennai Metro rail has shrunk the underground stations in Phase 2 by nearly 40 percent to tighten its purse strings. Trimming the stations required engineers to redesign the tunnel ventilation system, a key feature that protects passengers during fire emergencies in tunnels and bring down the number of exhaust fans from eight in phase-1 to only two in phase-2 without compromising safety. This has brought down the length of the station from 240 m in phase-1 to 150 m in phase-2.First refrigerator container rake flagged off by Waltair Rly divisionThe Waltair Railway division of the East Coast Railway Zone flagged off its first refrigerator container rake, laden with 43 containers with a load of 1,080 tonnes of frozen shrimp to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai. The inaugural export-laden refrigerator container rake (reefer) departed from the Container Corporation of India’s (Concor) multi-modal logistics park, Visakhapatnam with Hapag-Lloyd containers. It is expected to reach Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai for onward shipment to its export destination. This operation is a testament to the effectiveness of collaboration with partners like CONCOR and the division’s relentless pursuit of operational excellence.Ballastless track technology for new tunnels: ECOR The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has adopted advanced ballastless track technology in the construction of new railway tunnel projects in its jurisdiction to ensure safety, efficiency and sustainability of rail transport. ECoR is also set to replace existing tracks in tunnels with ballastless tracks in a phased manner. These tracks, in tunnels, will enhance durability and longevity, increase stability and safety, reduce maintenance cost and improve ride comfort and noise reduction. The advanced technology will also ensure improved drainage, water management, quicker installation and commissioning. This technology is environment friendly for its reduced need of maintenance due to longer service life of the tracks.Rockfalls down 99 percent in 25 years: Konkan RailwayIn the tough Western Ghats made tougher by the onslaught of the monsoon, unpredictability always tripped Konkan Railway (KR)—from unexpected flooding and tree falls to rockfalls and landslides. But protocols tailored to the rains over the last few years have reduced not only such incidents—from 200 boulder falls in 1998 to just two recently —but also service disruptions —from six lasting over an hour every season in 2010 to three in recent years. About 25 km of tracks is above water and almost 43 percent is in geologically challenging areas of tunnels and cuttings. Preparations to surmount these challenges begin four months prior to the monsoon. KRCL allocates Rs.50-70 million annually for maintenance and another Rs.100 million for monsoon readiness.