Indian Railways Explores Newly Designed Hopper Containers For Heavy Haul, Faster Loading

After the decision for procurement of 10,000 high capacity wagons, Indian Railways is exploring possibilities of using specially designed Hopper containers for carrying iron ore, coal and other bulk goods for faster-mode heavy hauling.

Hopper containers are specially designed ones where loading can take place from the top and unloaded from the bottom at the designated site.

Manufactured and designed as per Make-in-India initiative, currently Hopper containers are being made for the Food Corporation of India (FCI), for wheat transportation from silos.

There are 27 silos in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh for storage of wheat. Wheat is being transported in bulk to these silos during the procurement season.

FCI has made these silos to store and distribution of wheat.

Developed by Kalyani Cast Tech Limited in Haryana, Hopper container can load wheat from the top and empty it from the bottom. Trials of Hopper container is being done on the existing infrastructure at FCI at Sonepat.

According to the trial results, these specially designed 25-ton containers can be fully loaded in four minutes and unloaded in less than two minutes.

"These type of containers can also be used for non-power plant, coal, iron ore, clinkers and other bulk minerals," said Kalyani Cast Managing Director Naresh Kumar and added, "This is very effective system in comparison to normal containers. Besides wheat, it can be used in other goods as well."

The estimated cost of a Hopper container is about Rs 4.20 lakh.

The plant is now already for manufacturing of 300 Hopper containers, which can run at a maximum speed of 100 kmph.