BENGALURU: A total of 8,000 disposable railway sleepers have been put to efficient use by the Bengaluru Railway Division by building a goods shed at Bidadi from scratch within a month.
This will help with loading and unloading activities at the yard and also boost gypsum trade from Chennai Port to Bidadi, nearly 30 km from Bengaluru.
Thousands of railway sleepers are released by the Railways annually as new sleepers are laid when tracks are renewed.
This is the third such goods shed made in the Division with the previous ones made at Nelamangala and Penekonda.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Divisional Railway Manager A K Verma said, “The Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) sleepers have been utilised to develop a 360 metre unloading platform. This has been done on the request of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway.”
The three goods sheds have been developed from scratch by utilizing 30,000 released sleepers, he added.
Sleepers are sturdy and can withstand a great load which makes them excellent material to develop roads or any surface which is likely to carry much weight.
Saint Gobain has a huge manufacturing facility at Bidadi.
“Gypsum from Chennai Port can be transported here. There is a potential of loading 2,00,000 Metric Tonnes per year,” he said.
“We got rich dividends in the form of substantial increase in NMG loading and first ever Roll On–Roll Off service of South Western Railway,” Verma added.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager A N Krishna Reddy said, “Usage of sleepers is cost effective. Being M55 PSC, the surface can withstand movement of heavy machinery and loaded lorries. It has saved us much transportation cost.”
The goods shed surface improvement was planned for 600mx15 m area. In the first phase, 390m x 15 m areas has been made ready.