The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is a public sector undertaking (PSU) corporation run by the government of India’s Ministry of Railways to undertake planning, development and mobilisation of financial resources and construction and maintenance and operation of the new DFCs (dedicated freight corridors).

Under the eleventh five year Plan of India (2007–12), the Ministry of Railways commenced new DFCs routes namely, the Eastern and Western freight corridors. The two routes cover a total length of 3,360 kilometres (2,090 mi).

GOLDEN QUADRILATERAL FREIGHT CORRIDOR (GQFC)

GQFC has six proposed DFCs; two having been implemented early as mentioned above. The funding for the remaining four was approved in January 2018. The GQFC consists of the rail routes linking the four largest metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and the two diagonals North-South dedicated freight corridor (Delhi-Chennai) and East-West dedicated freight corridor (Kolkata-Mumbai). These carry 55% of Indian Railway’s freight traffic over a total of 10,122 km (6,290 mi) route length. See image 1.

APPROVED IN JANUARY 2018

• East-West dedicated freight corridor - 2000 km from Kolkata to Mumbai.

• North-South dedicated freight corridor - 2173 km from Delhi to Chennai.

• East Coast dedicated freight corridor, 1100 km from Kharagpur to Vijayawada.

• South-West dedicated freight corridor, 890 km from Chennai to Goa.

The line capacity utilisation on the existing highly saturated shared trunk routes of Howrah to Delhi on the Eastern corridor, and Mumbai to Delhi on the Western corridor varied between 115% to 150%. The increasing requirement for electrical power generation required heavy coal movement, booming infrastructure construction and growing international trade which led to the conception of the GQFCs. Carbon emission reduction from these DFCs will help DFCCIL claim carbon credits.

Western dedicated freight corridor (Western DFC) is broad gauge (5 ft 6 ” / 1676 mm) connecting India’s capital, Delhi and its economic hub, Mumbai. This corridor will be 1483 km in length and will be electrified with double line operation. A single line branch is proposed from Pirthala to Tughlakabad.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (Eastern DFC) is broad gauge (5 ft 6 ” / 1676 mm) connecting Ludhiana in Punjab and Dankuni (near Kolkata) in West Bengal. The route will mostly have double tracks. It will be electrified with the section from Ludhiana in Punjab to Khurja (Bulandshahr) in Uttar Pradesh (400 km) being a single line electrified due to lack of space. This freight corridor will cover a total distance of 1839 km.

FINANCING

The project will be funded by a loan of $4bn provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency under special terms for economic partnership (STEP). The remaining funds will be provided through equity by the Ministry of Railways.

CONTRACTORS INVOLVED WITH THE WESTERN DFC PROJECT

In May 2013, a consortium of Larsen & Toubro and the Japanese firm Sojitz was awarded a $100.97m contract to design and construct the 640 km twin-track line of the western DFC.

The consortium was additionally awarded a $450,000 contract to supply and install 25kV, 50Hz electrification equipment on the 915 km Rewari-Vadodara section of the Western DFC in November 2014.

The work included construction of seven traction substations (TSS), of which one is GIS-based, 40 switching sub-stations, and 897 track km of overhead line equipment (OLE). It also includes a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system that works at 12 stations

India and its construction of major rail freight corridors

AUTHOR

Phil KirklandCEng MICE, FPWI PWI Vice President (North England Sections)

Phil is an experienced Railway Engineer of 47 years continuous

service, beginning in 1973 with British Rail in Newcastle and more recently retiring as Head of Maintenance Delivery at Nexus Metro (Tyne and Wear PTE).

Phil has worked in the rail industry worldwide, specifically in the areas of track inspection, maintenance, renewal, mechanised maintenance, high output systems, railway rules, regulations, policies, processes and all safety matters.

Image 1: Golden quadrilateral freight corridor (GQFC). Image: DFCCIL.

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and an operational control centre, along with the supply of all associated equipment. Traction power and auto transformers, as well as copper conductors for the project will be imported from Japan.

In August 2015, Express Freight Consortium consisting of Mitsui, IRCON International and Tata Projects won a contract for track-laying and civil engineering work on two sectors between Vaitarana in the State of Maharashtra and Vadodara in the State of Gujarat.

The consortium led by Hitachi and consisting of Mitsui and Hitachi India won a contract worth $27.13m for the supply and installation of signalling and telecommunications systems for Package 5 of the Western DFC in December 2015. Hitachi will produce key equipment for the signalling system, while Mitsui will provide overall co-ordination with DFCCIL and related agencies in Japan and India.

Hitachi India will procure and supply locally made products. The consortium was also awarded a contract worth $9.19m to supply and install an automatic train control system for Package 5A of the Western DFC in December 2015.

SHORTER TRANSIT TIMES

Construction of the two corridors will transform the way freight is transported in India. The DFC lines are being built for maximum speeds of up to 100 km per hour, compared to current average commercial freight speed of approximately 25 km per hour. The lines will also have a carrying capacity for 6,000 to 15,000 gross tonne freight trains with a 32.5-tonne axle load. The DFCs will allow much shorter transit times from the freight source to its destination. In some cases, the delivery time will be reduced by more than 50%. Increased volumes of cargo will be transported faster, cheaper and more reliably.The Re-build Railways Plan also includes measures to improve the overall safety of India’s railway system, with the introduction of innovation and technology, such as a joint

Diagram and table 1.

Image 2: Japan Railways Shinkansen infrastructure. Image: WCM/Matchka.

Image 3: Holland RRV Mobile Flash Butt Welding machine. Image: DFCCIL.

Harsco NTC (new track construction machine) at work on the DFC.

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venture with Australian company Track IQ, who will provide sensor-based systems to detect rail defects. An ambitious target to reduce accidents by 50% over two years has been set by Indian Railways.

INCREASE IN TRANSPORT EFFICIENCY – ADDITIONAL 10,000 KM FOR FREIGHT TRAFFIC CAPACITY

The DFCs were designed as heavy-haul traffic lines for 32.5 tonne axle load. Trains with double-stack cars (two maritime containers on top of each other) will travel on a fully 25 Kv electrified line at speeds up to 100 km/h. Several large coal mines and steel production facilities are located along the proposed Eastern DFC line. Container traffic is also predominant along the Western DFC route, arriving mainly from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT). By 2022, the port is expected to handle 5.29 million containers annually.

In January 2006, RITES, an internal engineering consultancy set up by the Indian Government, submitted a feasibility report for the two corridors. RITES proposed the route and length of the corridors. The project is being executed in several phases, with significant Japanese input, support and influence. Approximately 67% of the construction costs of the Western DFC is funded by a loan of $4bn from Japan. The remaining funds are provided in equity by the Ministry of Railways. The Eastern DFC is constructed through funds received from the World Bank and the Ministry of Railways.

Phase one included a 920 km segment of the western corridor between Rewari in Haryana to Vadodara in Gujarat, the 105 km Sonnagar (Bihar) to Mughalsarai (Uttar Pradesh) section and the 710 km Mughalsarai to Khurja (Uttar Pradesh) segment of the Eastern corridor. INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

To their credit, Indian Railways engineers have fully researched and studied overseas railway operations (the very purpose of my series of articles for the PWI Journal), to learn and understand how and why others have chosen certain engineering strategies and policies. Particular focus has been on the Japanese Shinkansen routes, where operations and engineering are deemed to have strong similarities with Indian Railway aspirations. See image 2. A study has also been carried out in the USA and North America.

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS - RAIL

Indian Railways normally uses a variety of 52, 60 or 90 kg UTS rails in main lines. Standard 13 m rails are depot-welded into LWR (long welded rail), then site-welded into CWR (continuously welded rail) to reduce track maintenance costs and improve ride quality. For the DFC lines, it is planned to introduce UIC 60 and 90 kg UTS CWR, and 60 kg/m HH (head hardened) CWR on curves of less than 2 degrees (875 m radius).

Image 6: DFC Plasser and Theurer (Plasser India) SVM 1000 Single line track laying machine. Image: WCM/Plasser India.

Image 5: Overhead line equipment assembly Eastern DFC. Image: WCM/World Bank.

Image 4: Plasser and Theurer (Plasser India) 09-3X Dynamic Tamping Machine. Image: WCM/Plasser India.

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INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS – RAIL WELDING

CWR that has almost no mechanical fish plated joints is the main criteria. Site welding is necessary to convert the LWR into CWR and this can of course introduce weakness, integrity, quality, reliability or safety issues.

Following Japanese practice, four types of welding methods are used for rail welding:

• FBW (flash butt welding)• GPW (gas pressure welding)• EAW (enclosed arc welding) • ATW (alumino-thermic welding).

It is well known that FBW and ATW are used worldwide. The former has high reliability as well as high productivity, the latter has a high mobility associated with it. ATW is the common conventional welding method that enables rail to be manually welded in a relatively short time with simple devices at site. It is necessary to carefully control its quality at point of installation, in terms of both track component condition and assembly, and the weld manufacture itself.

On the other hand, GPW and EAW use has progressively increased in Japan. GPW is widely used in Japan because it has high reliability as well as high workability. EAW is used as the preferred welding method for on-site track welding on Shinkansen lines, because welding carried out by the EAW process has proven to have higher mechanical properties than ATW. The careful control and selection of welding materials is paramount as is training of welding staff and importantly the competent inspection after welding (including such as ultrasonic inspection, magnetic particle and penetrative inspections).Image 9: The impressive Centralised Train Control Centre, Alahabad. Image: WCM/DFCCIL.

Image 8: Newly constructed DFC Permanent Way, alongside the existing rail lines. Image: WCM/RailwayPro.

Image 7: Harsco NTC (New Track Construction Machine) at work on the DFC. Image: DFCCIL.

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At the time of construction of the DFCs, all these welding methods will be used, dependent upon site-specific context, requirements and prevailing site conditions. See image 3

Infrastructure design considerations – rail fastenings, fixtures and fittings

Fastenings utilised on main tracks in India are generally elastic-clip fastenings of the Pandrol variety. The introduction of these types of fastenings has enabled Indian Railways to increase line speeds and axle loadings, whilst at the same time reducing maintenance costs. The Pandrol designs and associated insulated assemblies enables the automation of the construction and maintenance process and has therefore been widely used. Pandrol Rahee Technologies Pvt Ltd, a joint venture initiative between Pandrol and Rahee Group, India’s leading railway infrastructure construction company and manufacturer of railway track products, has established a new manufacturing plant in Hyderabad for the production of fastenings.

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS – SLEEPERS AND BEARERS

The type of sleepers utilised on main lines are PSC (pre-stressed concrete) mono-block sleepers except for ballast-less bridge sections etc. On bridge sections, wooden or steel sleepers have been deployed. The production of PSC components within India should ease and enhance quality control processes. Sleeper spacing is currently at 1,660 or 1,550 per km, (or 30 / 28 per 60 ft). For DFC lines, sleepers are placed at 30 per 60 ft on main running lines and 28 per 60 ft in loops and sidings.

Japanese Railway engineers have begun using FFU (fibre foamed urethane) sleepers for switch and crossing works, bridge timbers and also other sleepers as an alternative to wooden sleepers.

Presently the FFU sleeper is quite expensive but has the following benefits:

• it is light in weight• has excellent workability like a wooden

sleeper • has a life expectancy similar to that of a

concrete sleeper• has a specific gravity of 0.74 (1/3 that of

concrete)• is free from water absorption and

corrosion• maintains the strength and dimensional

accuracy as at the initial installation• can sustain similar machining works to

those of natural wood sleepers (grooving, drilling, grinding, spike-driving, adhesion, and coating)

• FFU sleepers can be used as bridge sleepers for ballastless bridges and solid bed ballastless track ie depot facilities.

(It is highly likely that FFU sleepers will become more common worldwide. In fact, railway administrations such as KiwiRail in New Zealand have recently placed 3 year term contracts for the supply of such sleepers)

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS – BALLAST

Locally sourced crushed stone ballast with a depth of 300 mm (below sleeper) is the requirement for the DCF line construction. On existing infrastructure, the lower layer of ballast, which is called “cake”, has an accumulated thickness of 100 to 200 mm over the years due to mechanical degradation and contamination of the stone under traffic.

This element has to be removed through automatic ballast cleaning. Diagram and table 1 (courtesy of Indian Railways), shows the general ballasting standards applied.

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS – GEOMETRY

CANT (SUPER ELEVATION) The maximum permissible designed cant (super elevation) is 140 mm and maximum permissible designed cant (super elevation) deficiency is 75 mm.

Minimum curve radius is 875 m, and minimum vertical curve radius is 4000 m. The six foot is 6 metres, the ten foot is 6.25 m between main lines, loops and sidings. Between the DFC and any existing railway, a 7 m spacing must be maintained.

SWITCH AND CROSSING GEOMETRY

On Indian Railway infrastructure, the permissible speed through the turnout leg is 15 km/h on a conventional switch type and 30 km/h on improved (longer design) turnouts. Design calculations have determined the possible speed through the turnout side on improved curved switches with 60 kg/m rail, 1 in 12 and CMS crossings is 50 km/h. On 1 in 16 switches, it will be 66 km/h. These values are comparable to current operational speeds applied in Japan. It is expected to further increase the passing speed through the switch turnout after revising and updating maintenance standards and railway operational safety regulations.

On the DFC main lines, except on high speed passing turnouts, 60 kg/m rail, 1 in 12 with curved switches and CMS crossings on PSC bearers will be standard. For loop lines and non-running lines, it will be 1 in 8.5 turnouts. Active consideration is also being given to the introduction of swing nose crossings in future to reduce the heavy impact load on the crossing noses. Switches and crossings should be placed wholly on straight/tangent tracks and not within curves or transitions.

MAINTENANCE

All maintenance activities of the tracks are carried out in compliance with the ‘Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual’. The contents of this manual are considered by many to be of a particularly high standard. (It is written in English and Hindi for use throughout the country.)

The ‘Track Diagram’ section specifies the track material (rail, fastening, ballast thickness etc). Maintenance periods are also stipulated, along with the inspections, for example, observation by inspector, track recording cars, which are now digitally recorded on computer. Re-alignment of track, tamping, ballast cleaning, are all highly mechanised, with more than 800 Plasser machines alone having been purchased by Indian Railways over the years. A number of maintenance depots will be constructed at strategic locations along the DFC routes, necessary, because the movable limits of maintenance machinery is limited. See image 4.

Image 10: Indian Railways (new) GE Transportation, type ES43ACmi Evolution Series WDG4G, 4500hp diesel electric locomotive. Image: WCM/GE.

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Using multiple sleeper-tampers (09-3X) is particularly effective for new, precision re-laid track. New machine purchases of multiple sleeper tampers for construction of the new track will see these machines cascaded to the maintenance depots on completion of the new works. Rail grinding machines (trains) are also high on the procurement list to maintain the new rails to the highest possible standards. Ballast regulating machines will be distributed in combination with and to supplement the multiple sleeper tampers.

Automatic ballast cleaning is not yet essential or a priority, but thoughts are already focused ahead and the need for high output and associated material handling systems is currently being factored in to the project’s procurement strategies and whole life costing models.

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS – OLE MASTS, CONTACT AND CATENARY WIRES

OLE support masts will be 11.12 m in height, with a contact wire height of 7.53 m to facilitate double stack container operations. Detailed studies to find the optimum distance between masts were done taking into account many issues such as blow off by wind, stagger effect, displacement by mast deflection due to wind, depression of track due to poor vertical geometry, track alignments, pantograph

dynamic oscillation and the displacement of the pantograph caused by the cyclic rolling motion of trains.

As a result, a maximum distance between masts of 63 m on straight/tangent was determined. The minimum curve radius on DFC is designed at 875 m which will give a maximum displacement of 181 mm. Extensive studies were done based on train load, speed, route context, structure of mast, etc. As a result of these studies, whereas the conventional Indian Railways OLE consisted of 65 mm 2 contact wire, for DFC this will be increased to a 107 mm 2 contact wire, a substantially enhanced element. See image 5.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION - CIVILS

Eastern DFC is a broad gauge corridor and routes were required to avoid some major cities and towns due to land acquisition challenges. The Eastern DFC plan includes the construction of 104 major bridges, 368 road-over-bridges (ROBs), 189 road-under-bridges (RUBs) and 21 flyovers. It also includes the reconstruction of nine existing ROBs and the extension of ten existing RUBs.

The Western DFC plan includes a 4 km tunnel, 262 bridges, 33 flyovers, 505 ROBs and 200 RUBs. The western corridor also includes the reconstruction of 24 existing ROBs and lengthening ten existing RUBs. The western

DFC will be used to transport fertilisers, food grains, salt, coal, iron, steel and cement.A total of 211 bridges have been completed and 145 are in progress as of the end of November 2019. In addition, 271 RUBs were commissioned out of 562 and 259 were in progress. Out of 296, 67 ROBs have been completed and 138 are in progress.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION - TRACK The Western DFC will have special head-hardened (HH) 250 m, LWR strings using factory-based flash butt welding machines. The axle road of the track will be 32.5 t compared to the existing 25 t axle load used currently on Indian rail tracks. Construction distances are vast, ie 320 km already completed in 2019. A 626 km, double-track corridor will be built between Rewari in Haryana and Iqbalgarh in Gujarat, via Rajasthan, spanning three states. It includes construction of 1,388 km of total track length, including 1,342 bridges, 20 junction and crossing stations and 68,000 m² of building works.

In order to achieve the scale here, automated Plasser SVM 1000 track-laying machines are being used to assist the construction, along with Harsco NTC machinery. The consortium decided to use automated track laying machines and plan to complete the works

Image 11: Indian Railways (new) Alstom Prima T8, 2000hp 25Kv electric locomotive. Image : WCM/Alston.

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in the stipulated time of 48 months. Three Plasser SVM 1000 track laying trains supplied by Plasser India, are working on the largest permanent way project ever in India.

Three NTC (new track construction) machines have been imported from Harsco in the United States for the Kanpur-Khurja section. See image 6 and 7.

Both types of machine mechanically place and space the sleepers (the special rails are imported from Japan) and fasten them down in an automated manner simultaneously, providing precision track relaying and assembly of the highest quality. This approach significantly increases the productivity outputs whilst at the same time reducing time durations on subsequent activities such as top ballasting, tamping and stressing. The rails used are special factory-prepared 250 m long rails that are then welded together using site-based mobile flash butt welding machines, creating a more reliable output and higher quality finish. The machines are able to lay circa 1.5 km of track per day in continuous operation, improving productivity, safety, efficiency, and quality. See image 8.

The project has also built permanent way renewal supporting infrastructure, including eight casting yards for bridge precast works, two concrete sleeper plants for sleeper production, two rail welding depots and two rebar yards for rebar works.

A further 18 batching plants for producing concrete, 18 sand sources to cater to sand requirement and 11 quarry sources to cater to concrete aggregate and ballast requirement are required.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION - OLE

The Sojitz-Larsen & Toubro Limited (India) consortium were contracted to deliver the electrification works for the Western DFC. Sumitomo Electric were subcontracted by the consortium for contact and catenary wires for a section of about 1,340 km of the corridor (total length: circa 3,400 km).

Uniquely, this was the largest order received by Sumitomo Electric in terms of railway projects outside Japan. Sumitomo Electric’s wires were selected because of their seemingly superior durability and heat resistance, as well as the exemplary record of delivery to railway markets in and outside Japan. The installation of OLE equipment is similarly undertaken in a highly mechanised and automated process.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION - SIGNALLING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Automatic signalling with 2 km spacing between signals will be used for both corridors. The Ludhiana-Khurja segment of the Eastern DFC will additionally feature an absolute block system.

Traffic control communications on the two corridors will feature an independent

OFC system. A GSM-R communication system will be adopted for mobile train radio communication.

The Western DFC will be equipped with an automatic train control system, which will be based on the European train control system (ETCS) standard, to avoid potential collisions. The signalling and telecommunications equipment will include a train monitoring and diagnostic system to provide centralised monitoring of each train’s position on the track.Electronic interlocking equipment will be installed to control signal lights and points, which will ensure the safe operation of trains. Level crossing warning systems will be activated automatically when a train is approaching. All applications will be linked through telecommunication systems. See image 9.

ROLLING STOCK

The project will use single-stack containers on the Eastern DFC and double-stack containers on the Western DFC. The containers will be hauled by a mix of electric and diesel locomotives relative to route haulage (tractive effort, tonnage, speed, gradient and braking) needs.

The maximum speed of all locomotive types will be 100 km/h. The trains running on the Western DFC will be 7.1 m-high, 3,660 mm wide, and between 700 m and 1,500 m long. They will have a carrying capacity of up to 15,000t each. See images 10 and 11 FURTHER DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Over the past 50 years, weather-related disasters have caused some 800,000 deaths globally, and more than $1 trillion in financial losses. We have already seen the impacts in our own areas here in the UK, and this is becoming an increasing area of focus and challenge for all railway engineers world-wide. Adapting to this new norm will require some serious resources. With only a two degree warming scenario, the world would need to invest $13-27.5 billion every year to enhance the resilience of existing and new infrastructure. And just like other infrastructure sectors, railways are under increasing pressure from climate risk. In fact, World Bank experts estimate that rail accounts for 18% of the total estimated infrastructure costs.

India’s DFC’s program provides an example of pro-active adaptation. In a bid to anticipate and minimise the impact of weather events, climate considerations have been factored into the project right from the design phase. The implementing agency and its partners have had to pay special consideration to three types of risks that are of particular concern along the routes, these being: fog, temperature variation and flooding.

FOG

Fog reduces visibility and hence in turn reduces speed. There is also an increased risk to those people crossing live tracks, sadly

a very regular occurrence in India. DFCCIL is investing in ETCS and will add track security and anti-trespass fencing in known high risk areas. ETCS Level 1 enables trains to keep running safely at their normal speed even in poor visibility conditions.

TEMPERATURE VARIATION

India’s extreme temperatures affect the rail infrastructure in many ways, from rail breaks, misalignments, buckles to changes in tensile and compressive stresses. The project team had to define critical temperature thresholds and identify which emergency actions to take when a specific threshold is reached. The DFCCIL plan is to move toward a “predict and prevent” model, using measures such as remote CRT monitoring sensors, installed directly on the tracks to monitor rail stresses in real time and provide alerts and early warnings.

FLOODING

Significant monsoon flooding is a frequent occurrence and real concern in India, with millions of people affected every year. Running along two major rivers, the Yamuna and the Ganga, the project is particularly vulnerable to flood risk. Flood inundation historical records, anecdotal data, surveys, maps and site specific design flood estimates have all been considered in defining critical thresholds.

FUTURE MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Looking to drive increased mechanisation in track maintenance, Indian Railways have acquired a set of five new track maintenance machines from Plasser &Theurer India. The new machines enhance the existing, impressive fleet of over 800 Plasser and Theurer track machines supplied to Indian Railways over the years.

The splendid shopping list of new machines recently specified and acquired includes, three new 09-3X dynamic tamping express machines, one RM 80-92-U automatic ballast cleaning machine and one Unimat 4S switch and crossing tamping machine. Of course the new Plasser 09-3X dynamic machine can now measure pre and post track geometry, tamp and correct the track to the required geometry and tamp three sleepers simultaneously.

Like all tamping machines, the 09-3X machine will vibrate and compact the loose stone ballast under the sleepers and correct horizontal and vertical track geometry. Additionally, it can dynamically stabilise and measure post tamping track parameters under load to ensure the quality of the work done. This eliminates the requirement for a separate DTS machine, reducing operating costs and track possession time. Further this highly mechanised approach eliminates previous manual track quality measuring after maintenance, and provides assured track handback data and reports.

The new Plasser Unimat 4S switch and crossing tamping machines are of the very latest generation for track geometry correction

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of turnouts and are designed to lift and tamp all the four rails in a turnout simultaneously. Indian Railways has planned for complete mechanisation of inspection, monitoring, relaying and maintenance of railway track, with a transition to complete mechanised maintenance by 2020 on trunk routes and by 2024 on the entire network of Indian Railways. Also high on shopping list in future years for the new lines as heavier maintenance becomes a requirement are high output ballast cleaning machines and associated materials handling wagons, along with autoballaster type hopper wagons and LWR trains.

The proposed numbers and investment costs for such sophisticated on- track equipment, serves only to underline and emphasise the scale and size of the Indian Railway network. (I suspect an indian edition of the much loved ‘On Track Plant’ UK publication could prove to be quite voluminous!).

The sheer size and scope of the Indian Railway’s GQFC Project is truly difficult to grasp and this article hardly scrapes the surface. Undoubtedly Indian Railways have come a long way, determined a clear forward-thinking vision, and secured funding to deliver and then got on with the job using the most sophisticated of modern permanent way engineering equipment and techniques. We must pay credit to their endeavours.

Indian Railways DFCCIL Double stack container train. Image: WCM/AlcoS.

This (none too technical) article has again been written with an aspiration to perhaps prompt, challenge and inspire our younger rail engineering members, students, apprentices, supervisors and engineers to further research matters as part of their wider understanding and education.

Additionally, whilst the author accepts no liability for content or content accuracy, such learners are free to use or part-use the paper for CPD or portfolio-building purposes.

In addition, here are some suggested study prompts for those learner/reader groups:

1. What factors may determine track structure, sub-structure and choice of components?

2. What factors may influence the type and size of turnouts used on any given route?

3. What is the difference between the Plasser SVM 1000 and Harsco NTC machines?

4. How does do the SVM 1000 and NTC work, and why might they be selected for a track renewal?

5. Research the following types of rail welding and understand the differences in each process:

• FBW (Flash Butt Welding)• GPW (Gas Pressure Welding)• EAW (Enclosed Arc Welding) • ATW (Alumino-Thermic Welding)

6. What components are used in the assembly of OLE systems?

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TECHNICAL ARTICLE

AS PUBLISHED IN

The PWI Journal April 2020VOLUME 138 PART 2

If you would like to reproduce this article, please contact:

Kerrie IllsleyJOURNAL PRODUCTION EDITORPermanent Way Institutionkerrie.illsley@thepwi.org

PLEASE NOTE: Every care is taken in the preparation of this publication, but the PWI cannot be held responsible for the claims of contributors nor for the accuracy of the contents, or any consequence thereof.

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