Editing Rail transport in India (section)

== Freight trains ==
=== Rolling stock ===
{{multiple image
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| image1=Goods (Wagon) Train.JPG
| image2=WAG-11.jpg
| footer=A [[covered wagon]] (left) and a [[Indian locomotive class WAG-11|WAG-11 electric locomotive]] used to haul freight
}}
Indian Railways hauls a variety of cargo to cater to various requirements and has specialized rolling stock corresponding to the cargo hauled. There are 243 types of [[rolling stock]] used for cargo operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fois.indianrail.gov.in/RailSAHAY/Home.jsp|title=Cargo wagons|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> These include [[goods wagon|covered wagon]]s, [[boxcar]]s, [[flat wagon]]s, [[flat car|flatbed]]s, [[open wagon]]s, [[hopper car|hopper]]s, [[shipping container|container]]s, automobile carriers, defense vehicle carriers and [[Tank car|tanker]]s.<ref name="Cargo">{{cite report|url=https://secr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1596631341023-Freight.pdf|title=Types of freight cars|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The freight cars can often carry loads from 10 to 80 tonnes per car depending on the configuration.<ref name="Cargo"/> A new wagon numbering system was adopted in Indian Railways in 2003.<ref name="wagon">{{cite press release|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/mec_engg/downloads/freight/New_Wagon_Numb_Sys.pdf|title=New Wagon Numbering System|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|date=4 July 2003|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
The requirement of wagons was previously met by [[Bharat Wagon and Engineering|Bharat wagon and engineering]] with the procurement and manufacturing now done by both in the public and private sector.<ref name="IRYB"/> The earliest goods trains in the 1800s were hauled by imported steam locomotives.<ref name="Hist"/> Locomotives are classified by various parameters including function (passenger/goods/mixed).<ref name="Class">{{cite report|url=https://digitalscr.in/bzadiv/circulars/misc_circulars/uploads/Classification%20of%20Locomotives.pdf|title=Locomotive classification|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref> Indian Railways uses dedicated electric locomotives such as [[Locomotives of India#Electric|WAG series]] ([[Broad gauge|Wide]] [[Alternating Current|AC]] [[Rail freight transport|Goods]]), dedicated diesel locomotives such as [[Locomotives of India#Diesel|WDG series]] and diesel locomotives of mixed usage such as [[Locomotives of India#Diesel|WDM series]] to haul freight trains.<ref name="E1">{{cite report|url=https://elocos.railnet.gov.in/Holding/holding_12_23.pdf|title=Electric locomotive holding|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="D1">{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/mec_engg/2023/Diesel%20loco%20availability%20targets%20for%20Dec_2023.pdf|title=Diesel locomotive holding|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>
[[File:WAP-7 & WAG-5 pulling an Indian freight train at DDJ.webm|thumbtime=10|thumb|200px|alt=Two Indian locomotives, one WAP-7, generally used for passengers, and one WAG-5, used for freight, is seen pulling a generic freight train at a busy station.|A [[Indian locomotive class WAP-7|WAP-7]] & [[Indian locomotive class WAG-5|WAG-5 electric locomotive]] pulling a freight train at [[Dum Dum Junction railway station|Dum Dum Junction]]. ]]

=== Network and infrastructure ===
Indian railways operates a {{convert|68,584|km|abbr=on}} {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} broad gauge network which is equipped with [[Track (rail transport)#Continuous welded rail|long-welded]], high-tensile [[Rail weight|52kg/60kg 90 UTS]] rails with [[prestressed concrete|pre-stressed concrete (PSC)]] sleepers and elastic fastenings.<ref name="IRYB"/> These tracks are shared by both freight and passenger trains, with passenger trains often prioritized on the network. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCI) was established in 2006 to construct dedicated freight corridors to reduce congestion, increase speed and reliability and proposed upgradation of existing goods sheds, attracting private capital to build dedicated logistics terminals.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Railways%20Presentation.pdf|title=Vision and Plans: Indian Railways|date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118230400/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Railways%20Presentation.pdf|archive-date=18 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Services ===
[[File:Main-qimg-2eab05e182278bf019c97862578a3706.jpg|thumb|A hybrid coach with provision to carry small cargo and mail, often attached to passenger trains]]
The first rail operational in Madras in 1837 was used for ferrying granite.<ref name="FR">{{cite news |date=16 April 2018 |title=Chennai: The track record |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2018/apr/16/chennai-the-track-record-1801999.html |access-date=9 August 2023 |newspaper=[[New Indian Express]]}}</ref> The first dedicated commercial freight rail was operated between Bombay and Ahmedabad in 1966.<ref name="Hist"/> Indian Railways ferries various commodities and cargo to cater to various industrial, consumer, and agricultural segments. Apart from dedicated freight trains, [[parcel (consignment)|parcel]]s, [[mail]] and small cargo are carried on specialized carriages attached to passenger trains.<ref name="Mint">{{cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/indian-railways-launches-the-first-ever-high-capacity-lhb-parcel-van-can-run-at-130-kmph-11580472862846.html|title=Indian Railways launched the first ever high capacity parcel van|work=Mint|date=31 January 2020|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> In 2022–23, Indian Railways operated 8,479 trains on average daily and transported 1418.1 million tonnes of freight.<ref name="IRYB"/> Indian Railways has historically subsidized the passenger segment with income from the freight business, and hence, freight services were unable to compete owith ther modes of transport on both cost and speed of delivery, leading to continuous erosion of market share till the early 2000s.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/IRSP_2016-17/Annual_Report_Accounts_Eng/2.pdf|title=Indian Railways White Paper 2016|date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226032211/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/IRSP_2016-17/Annual_Report_Accounts_Eng/2.pdf|archive-date=26 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> To counter this, Indian Railways aimed to increase speed and reliability through various means including operating time-tabled freight trains and tweaking with the freight pricing/product mix.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Railways%20Presentation.pdf|title=Vision and Plans: Indian Railways|date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118230400/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Railways%20Presentation.pdf|archive-date=18 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> End-to-end integrated transport solutions such as [[Konkan Railway Corporation#RORO|roll-on, roll-off]] (RORO) service, a [[Rolling highway|road-rail system]] pioneered by [[Konkan Railway Corporation|Konkan Railway]] in 1999 to carry trucks on [[flatbed truck|flatbed]] trailers has been extended to other routes.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=949|title=Road-Rail Synergy System|access-date=22 December 2008|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605172834/http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=949|archive-date=5 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Freight loads<ref name="IRYB"/>
!Year
!1951
!1961
!1971
!1981
!1991
!2001
!2011
!2021
!2023
|-
|'''Freight loading (million tonnes)'''
|73.2
|119.8
|167.9
|195.9
|318.4
|473.5
|921.73
|1233
|1512
|}