Putting India’s Metro projects on track

Metro on the move Lucknow Metro coaches make 2,200km journey smoothly and safely with Allcargo’s expert fleet

When the first service of the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation is flagged off in 2017, it will be yet another feather in the cap for Allcargo Logistics. Having successfully – and safely – transporting coaches for the Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin Metro rail projects in the past, the Projects team of Allcargo was entrusted with moving the coaches for the Lucknow Metro rail project. Allcargo, with its proven expertise in moving Metro coaches is transporting consignments for the Lucknow project in batches, over a distance of 2,200km from the manufacturing site at BEML factory in Telangana to Lucknow.

Leader for Lucknow

French transportation major Alstom, which has collaborated with BEML to manufacture the coaches under the Make in India initiative, roped in the services of Allcargo, on the basis of its expertise and experience in such operations. “The mandate is to transport a total of 80 coaches over a period of one year. We have already transported four batches of four coaches each and we are glad that not only have we delivered the valuable consignments safely, but also delivered them in good time,” says Philip Fernandes, general manager – operations, projects and engineering solutions division of Allcargo Logistics.

Where it would ordinarily take 13 days to transport the oversized consignments over the 2200km distance, Allcargo’s team is negotiating the distance in around 10 days, while maintaining its high standards of safety at all times.

Rising to the challenges

With each coach stretching to a length of 22metre, standing 4.2metre in height and weighing 62tonnes, transporting these huge consignments across the length of the country is a stiff logistical challenge. “All our experience and strength as a leader in the segment comes in handy when it comes to such movements,” says Mr Fernandes, adding that it involves striking the perfect balance between efficiency and safety to ensure timely deliveries. The hi-tech trucks with multi-axle hydraulic trailers move at a maximum speed of 30km per hour, sometimes slowing down to just 5km per hour across certain roads. While travelling during night time is an effective way to cover time, it is not safe to do this on narrow roads. On its part, Allcargo deploys two sets of drivers and a support team to ensure that the coaches travel from Telangana to Lucknow on schedule. Each of the consignments is enabled with RFID trackers, allowing continuous monitoring of truck movement. “We try to stick to our daily target of 250km per day, to meet the challenge of reaching Lucknow in 10 days,” says Mr Fernandes, adding that the team has even qualified for incentives from the client for delivering in good time.

Masters of Metro movement

Being an end-to-end global leader in the logistics space, Allcargo handles all aspects of transportation — be it domestic consignments or international movements, feasibility study, route selection, port operations or documentation.

From the prestigious Delhi Metro project to the recently inaugurated Cochin Metro project, Allcargo’s association with the transportation of metro coaches across the country has been building steadily. “We specialise in metro movements; we are the pioneers in introducing the concept of spacers in the country,” says Mr Fernandes. The journey began with the Delhi Metro Rail Project, when Allcargo transported a whopping 400 units from Telangana all the way to Delhi.

As part of the Delhi Metro project, Allcargo successfully flew down four coaches from Bombardier’s factory in Germany in an Antonov-124, handled all processes from documentation to customs clearance and eventually undertook the road transportation plan to transfer the coaches to the metro site in Delhi.

Similarly, for the Mumbai Metro project, in a multi-modal transportation plan, 64 coaches were moved from Nanjing in China to Mumbai Metro’s depot in Versova.

For the Cochin Metro project, the Allcargo team negotiated the 600km distance in record time to reach one set of coaches for the trial runs before the formal inauguration on June 2017.

Even as dozens of cities across India are in different stages of implementing their metro rail projects, Allcargo is equipped and enthusiastic to be a trusted transport partner, and to continue to provide logistical support that keeps India’s metro ambitions on track.