DFCCIL, Indian Railways join hands to run special train carrying equipment for Uttarkashi rescue work

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) and Indian Railways (IR) have joined hands in running a special train carrying equipment from Karambeli in Gujarat to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, spanning 1605 km, to aid in the rescue of the trapped workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse incident.
As per the official information, the train ran between New Sanand and New Khatauli on the DFC alignment, covering a distance of 1075 km in 18 hours and 38 minutes on November 21 and 22, 2023.
It achieved a maximum permissible speed of 95 per cent for the entire stretch on DFC. The train reached Rishikesh station at 9:00 a.m. today.
It is notable that DFCCIL, a project of national importance, is committed to helping fellow Indians in times of need. Driven by its qualities of being faster, higher, longer and heavier, DFC, with its high average speed, provides a freight motorway that has come in handy in the carriage of important rescue-saving equipment.
DFCCIL is touted as a game changer for the country’s logistic sector. At present, 2486 km, i.e., 87.4 per cent of the total length of 2843 km, have been completed and more than 95 per cent of the total DFC will be completed by March 2024.
Meanwhile, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel entered the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi where 41 workers remain trapped.
The rescue operations have intensified at the site, with around 30 ambulances arranged at the spot to cater to emergency services if needed.
The government said that ONGC is mobilising machinery from the USA, Mumbai, and Ghaziabad for vertical boring.
Earlier on November 12, 2023, a collapse occurred in the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side.
The area of entrapment, measuring 8.5 metres in height and 2 kilometres in length, is the built-up portion of the tunnel, offering safety to the labourers with available electricity and water supply.
Five agencies–ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL–have been assigned specific responsibilities, working collaboratively with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency, the government said