SR successfully conducts trial run of 'road railer'

In a step up for cargo transportation in the country, the Southern Railway has successfully conducted a trial run of a 'road railer' which will facilitate 'door-to-door' transportation of goods.

The trial was conducted between Melpakkam and Katpadi section of Chennai division Wednesday.

Fitted with wheels akin to normal trucks, road railers carrying cargo will travel by road till it reaches a railway goods terminal, a SR release said Thursday.

The road railer units will then be directly coupled with railway wagons, eliminating the task of loading and unloading of consignments.

After reaching the receiving terminal by rail, the units containing the goods would be decoupled and attached to trucks to be delivered to customers by road.

A private company, Kirloskar Pneumatic Co Ltd (KPCL), has tied up with Southern Railway to provide such specially-designed road railers.

SR would operate and maintain them. The "first and last-mile (road) operations" of the road railers would be taken care by the company and its strategic partners, the release said.

"Southern Railway will shortly announce the commercial run between Chennai and Palwal (Haryana), the two road railer terminals established by KPCL...," it said.

Road railers will offer a holistic logistics solution in diverting cargo traffic from road to rail and to offer seamless door-to-door goods transportation, according to the release.