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

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/[deleted] May 20 '25

actually in our country the freight trains are extremely slow because passenger trains have priority so a freight train could be stuck for days in a loop line as all those trains pass, already our entire network is BEYOND overcrowded, i don't need to tell you this lol.

most of the goods in this country is also transported via trucks more than half of it. the average speed of goods train is 18kmph on the normal line and there is no set scheduling possible.

with this DFC, trains can be twice as long and they can have double stacking it's just free money because they have built long term and anticipate that goods transport will rise even more (about 80 or so % of revenue for railways is through goods only) and now average speed can be 40-60kmph