‘I used to come from Delhi…’: HM Shah recalls Sabarmati’s long journey to modern rail hub

Ahmedabad, Sep 27 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday highlighted the freight capacity and alternative-fuel initiatives being introduced at Sabarmati, including the Rs 700-crore WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed and the launch of India’s first LNG-powered train.

Addressing a gathering at Sabarmati railway station in Gujarat, HM Shah said the projects being inaugurated and launched covered passenger convenience, railway safety and environmental concerns.

He also recalled his earlier visits to the station and said its facilities and connectivity had undergone a major change.

“Today, no one can believe that this is the same station where, in the 1980s, one had to walk two kilometres to get a rickshaw,” HM Shah said, while referring to the station’s present connectivity with the Metro, state transport facilities and other rail services.

He said the projects being taken up in the Sabarmati railway division at a cost of around Rs 1,472 crore would benefit passengers in the area.

The Home Minister specifically referred to the WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed, Kavach train protection system and doubling of the Sabarmati–Sarkhej railway line.

The Rs 700-crore WAG-12 maintenance shed has been developed at Sabarmati for the homing and maintenance of high-capacity electric freight locomotives.

HM Shah highlighted the capacity of the WAG-12 and said: “A single locomotive could carry freight equivalent to around 600 trucks, compared with the need for two locomotives earlier.”

WAG-12 locomotives have a rated capacity of around 12,000 HP and are designed for hauling heavy and long freight trains. The Sabarmati facility is planned to maintain up to 300 such locomotives.

The Home Minister also highlighted the launch of India’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati, describing it as “an initiative with environmental benefits”.

The train uses a diesel-plus-LNG dual-fuel system, with two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars converted for LNG use. More than 2,000 km of field trials have been completed on the two converted DPCs.

LNG can replace part of diesel consumption while the engine can continue to operate on diesel when required.

HM Shah also referred to the trial of a long-haul double-stack container train between Mumbai and Vadodara, saying such trains could increase freight-carrying capacity on existing railway infrastructure.

He further mentioned dedicated freight corridors, rapid rail systems and modern railway stations as part of changes in the railway network since 2014.

Referring to the Sabarmati-Sarkhej doubling project, the Home Minister said: “The work would also help open the way for better direct connectivity from western Ahmedabad towards Mumbai and other destinations.”

The projects were launched during HM Shah’s Gujarat visit and formed part of railway initiatives worth more than Rs 1,542 crore in Ahmedabad.

–IANS

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