Trial run of 4.5 km long 'Rudrastra' freight train successfully conducted

Chandauli (UP): The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Division (DDU) of East Central Railway has achieved a new milestone by successfully operating ‘Rudrastra’, a 4.5 km long freight train, Asia’s longest, an official said.

Sharing a video of the trial run on X, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “'Rudrastra’ - Bharat's longest freight train (4.5 km long)."

'Rudrastra' - Bharat's longest freight train (4.5 km long) pic.twitter.com/Ufk2MFnpfl

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 8, 2025

Now freight trains will be sent from the DDU Division to the Dhanbad Division for quick loading and transportation of goods, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Uday Singh Meena said.

"This is a new experiment, which will make freight transportation and loading quick. This will not only save resources but also time. Indian Railways will benefit from this. Rudrastra is Asia's longest freight train, according to records of the Railways.

“The trial run was conducted from the Ganjkhwaja railway station in Chandauli to Garhwa in Jharkhand on Thursday, covering a distance of 209 km in 5 hours 10 minutes at an average speed of 40.50 km per hour," Meena told PTI.

Rudrastra was prepared by adding three long haul (two goods trains each) racks. A total of 345 wagons were included in it, with 72 tonnes of goods loaded in one empty wagon, he said.

“Two engines were attached in front and one with each rack after every 59 bogeys. In all, seven engines were used. One rack had 59 bogeys. In a way, five goods trains were lined up one after the other with the first goods train having two engines,” Meena said.

There are five divisions in East Central Railway -- DDU, Dhanbad, Danapur, Samastipur and Sonpur.