RORO Train Stations of K-Rail Project.
Roll On Roll Off is the expansion of RORO. Goods carrying trucks will load onto a goods train’s chassis like wagons and carry from one place to another. Normally it is from one state to another in India. This is mainly for reducing transporting time and cost of fuel and loading and offloading effort and time. The process of loading trucks on to train is the Roll-On process. And the off-loading process is Roll-Off. Not all railway stations are having the facility in India and Kerala.
RORO Train Stations of K-Rail Project.
In the Silverline project of K-Rail, out of a total of ten stations, Five of them are having a RORO facility. The stations with RORO facility are:
- Kasaragod
- Thrissur
- Eranakulam
- Kollam
- Thiruvananthapuram
Benefits of RORO Trains
The main benefit of RORO trains is Time-saving. In a train, nearly one hundred loaded trucks are transported at a time. Especially in India, one of the most time losses is at state borders. Clearance will take hours depending on the vehicles at a time. Similarly, when a hundred trucks are moved, the direct time saving itself is a main cost-saving.
Fuel Saving: The above hundred trucks will consume hundreds of liters of diesel for reaching the destination. This is a matter of thousands of rupees. Train transportation of trucks will be a smaller fraction of the fuel cost for a truck.
Labour Saving: To reach one state from another, it is a matter of hundred drivers who drive for multiple days plus time loss at borders and fuel cost. In the RORO situation, the Drivers’ requirement is only at the destination point. These people will be fresh and energetic as they are not losing sleep or energy due to long driving.
Loading and Offloading or Transmission: Unlike loaded into a bogie, laden trucks are an easy way of off-loading. When loading into a train bogie, loading or filling itself requires the movement of the truck. The truck brings goods from origin to station, then loads into the bogie. After filling, at the destination, the reverse action needs to take place. Both these require multiple truck movements and labor and machinery. But when we load trucks directly, loading offloading and driver transportation are minimal.
Best for Perishable Goods: As it takes only train movement time mainly, the RORO system is the best for transportation of perishable goods like vegetables, fruits, food items, etc.
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