HYDERABAD: In a first-of-its-kind initiative that has the potential to be a game-changer, the South Central Railways (SCR) has started the transportation of bulk cement in specialised containers. The first rake was loaded from Bharathi Cements in Yerraguntla of AP to Irugur in Tamil Nadu. The container rake is being moved as a single rake consisting of 30 specialised tank containers, each with a capacity of approximately 26 tonnes.
Bulk cement dispatch constitutes around 25 per cent of the total cement production of nearly 350 million tonnes. This traffic is currently transported through non-rail modes. With the introduction of these specialised containers, there is huge potential for railways to tap this significant traffic to its freight basket.