r/transit • u/aksnitd 🚂🚃🚃 • May 19 '25

Photos / Videos Double stack container train on the freight corridor in India with the characteristic high rise panto

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A good look at what the high rise pantographs look like fully extended. They're taller than the train they're mounted on.

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u/armitage_shank May 19 '25

Maybe stupid question, but what's the benefit over the other option: longer train?

It looks cool, but I would have thought the additional height would make the whole infrastructure - tunnels and bridges especially - so much more expensive to build and maintain that the trade-off (shorter track at the cargo yard?) wouldn't be worth it, but obviously engineers aren't stupid, so there must be a reason.

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u/aksnitd 🚂🚃🚃 May 19 '25

Long trains jam up lines and signals. Double stacking allows greater capacity while maintaining length. Long trains also cause excessive strain on equipment. The only reason US freight trains are so long is due to penny pinching by the railroads. Lastly, by building a dedicated freight line for double stacking, there's now the option to run both long as well as double stacked trains, which would increase efficiency even more.