Aluminium helps achieve climate goals
Aluminium manufacturer Hindalco has launched India’s first fully aluminium freight rail rakes, helping fast-track the country’s ambitious plans to modernise freight transportation and enable Indian Railways to make large carbon savings.
The gleaming rakes are 180 t lighter than existing steel rakes, can carry a 5-10% greater payload and consume less energy, all this with relatively negligible wear and tear to rolling stock and rails.
Switching to aluminium significantly shrinks the Indian Railways’ carbon footprint. A single aluminium rake can save more than 14,500 t of CO2 over its lifetime. The new 61-wagon rake will carry coal for Hindalco’s Aditya smelter, located in Lapanga, in the eastern state of Odisha. On top of this the aluminium wagons are 100% recyclable. (ben)