Shah Spotlights Sabarmati Rail Upgrades, From LNG Train To Freight Locomotive Shed

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday drew attention to major railway developments in Sabarmati, including a Rs 700-crore maintenance facility for WAG-12 locomotives and the introduction of India’s first LNG-powered train.

Addressing a gathering at Sabarmati railway station, Shah said the initiatives covered passenger services, railway safety and environmental considerations.

“Today, no one can believe that this is the same station where, in the 1980s, one had to walk two kilometres to get a rickshaw,” Shah said, referring to its current links with the Metro, state transport services and other trains.

He added that projects valued at about Rs 1,472 crore in the Sabarmati railway division would improve services for people in the area.

Locomotive Facility to Strengthen Freight Capacity

Shah pointed to the WAG-12 shed, the Kavach train protection system and the planned doubling of the Sabarmati–Sarkhej rail line.

The Rs 700-crore shed will provide housing and maintenance for high-capacity electric freight engines, with the capacity to service as many as 300 WAG-12 locomotives.

“A single locomotive could carry freight equivalent to around 600 trucks, compared with the need for two locomotives earlier,” he said.

Each WAG-12 locomotive delivers 12,000 horsepower and hauls heavy, long freight trains.

Shah called the launch of the LNG-powered train ‘an initiative with environmental benefits’.

The train operates on a diesel-and-LNG dual-fuel system, using two converted 1,400-HP Driving Power Cars. The two units have undergone more than 2,000 km of field trials.

He also mentioned a trial involving a double-stack container train between Mumbai and Vadodara, alongside dedicated freight corridors, rapid rail services and modern stations.

Shah said doubling the Sabarmati–Sarkhej line would help provide better direct connections from western Ahmedabad towards Mumbai and other destinations.

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