A train for the trucks! July 13, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in India, Indian Railways, Travel.trackback
Check out this unique RORO (Roll On-Roll Off) freight train spotted at a railway station between Bhatkal and Kumta during my travel on Konkan Railway, India last month.
You can hear the drivers screaming hello (twice in the video) if you have your ears pointed. The RORO train is a blessing to truckers who have to travel between Mumbai and Honavar on the NH-17. With the RORO train, they can sleep in their trucks and avoid the extreme difficulty of driving loaded trucks through extreme terrain and poor weather conditions during monsoon rains.
The journey on the train is faster as well as more fuel economical. Read this interesting news article to know more about how the RORO train has become a boon to the Indian freight industry.
This video is dedicated to blogger buddies C.B. Whittemore & Lewis Green, who happen to be train lovers as well; my grandma who gave me train-spotting company back in the days (miss ya lots), and members of railkerala group.
Arun Rajagopal 
How fabulous! Thank you, Arun. I can’t wait to share this with my daughter – another train lover!
Great post! In the U.S. trains are the primary way to move freight, but the method is to stack containers that await to be picked up at one of the major U.S. seaports. They are lifted one by one by giant cranes and stacked atop each other in pairs onto a flatbed rail car. Do you also use that method in India?
Thank you for dedicating this partly to me. We used to live near a major freight rail line in greater Chicago, and everyday at 3 p.m. I would greet the train with a wave and they would return my wave with a yank on the whistle.
Arun, my daughter LOVED the video clip! Thank you.
C.B.: Wow – It’s so kewl that you gurls loved it. Let me share the story behind the video. I’d planned this before setting out on the journey. A video clip of the RORO train for the 2 train lovers I know from AOC. I was lurking at the door the minute the train got into Konkan Railway territory. There are only 2 such trains running any day. So my train reaches one station, and there is a RORO train waiting there to let us cross, but wait Mr. Smart-ass here was struggling with the video on his cell phone, so couldn’t film that. You can hardly imagine the disappointment I felt. I was like… omg, I’ve blown this up… and when on Earth am I gonna get to see a RORO train again… exactly an hour later, my train pulls into a station for a crossing, and I was like let’s see who’s crossing our path now. And this time I got all ready… and there comes this magnificent RORO train headed by this rare, beautiful turquoise green? liveried WDG Shakti locomotive. I mean I literally jumped with glee. Yep, that’s the inside story on the ‘train for trucks’.
Lewis: We have the container loading method on Indian Railways as well. In fact, there is a route / high-speed freight corridor on Indian Railways where they stack two containers, one above the other on each wagon and let the train fly like the wind. It must feel great to be greeted with a yank on the train whistle. I’ve a railway guard buddy who waves the green flag / shows the green lamp at me, every time he spots me from a moving train. Makes me feel special all the time
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Which then makes me wonder – when are you two heading out to India & getting some major rail-fanning action with moi????
We, in Europe, usually , do attach a carriage for the truck drivers to travel more comfortably…
Hey Arun,
A bit late on this comment again… sorry about that. Thanks for sharing these 8 random things about you! I love the animal pictures.Once again (didn’t I already tell you) your pictures are great… I love them. Than, when it comes to the coffee part, boy… I’d love to try your exquisite coffee. Keep some for “D-day” we will meet, ok?
Luc… you are an angel! Man, I’ll put you on a caffeine drip when we meet. How about a nice neat idea – let’s chart a plane & get Drew, Gavin, CK, TB, CBW, LG, CR, Ryans1&2, LM, VM, MD, BG and rest of the crew to India… you can fly us… and mebbe I can push from behind. OK, I’m done with the ‘joke’. But seriously, it would be so nice to see you all in India. I’ll take you boating to Ashtamudi Lake next to where I live. Plus we’ll have fun doing a million other things. Takers?
can you please send me some photo of Trucks loaded on Train for transport. Thanks in advance.
GR888888 🙂 Man u \m/
nic video arun