Indian Railways runs first 1.3-kilometre double-stack container train on Western Dedicated Freight Corridor

Indian Railways operated its first 1.3-kilometre-long double-stack container train on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor on Sunday.

The service ran from Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai to Varnama in the Vadodara division. Double-stacking allows two layers of containers on a single wagon, roughly doubling the cargo volume per train without lengthening the consist further.

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is designed for higher axle loads and exclusive freight traffic. Introducing double-stack operations is intended to cut unit costs and raise throughput between the west coast ports and northern hinterland.

India has invested heavily in dedicated freight corridors to separate passenger and freight movements and reduce transit times. The successful run of a train of this length provides a practical benchmark for further scaling.

Port-to-inland logistics remain a bottleneck for manufacturers and exporters. Higher capacity on the rail side can ease pressure on road networks and lower the cost of moving containers over long distances.