RailEnquiry

Close on the heels of the first exclusive goods train ‘Kairali Black’ that transported bitumen all the way from Ernakulam to Bhutan, Railways are gearing up to transport latex from Kerala to Delhi as part of a move to ensure quick and efficient transport of freight from the State.Aptly named ‘Kairali White,’ the exclusive train will start soon from the Thiruvalla railway station in Pathanamthitta district for New Delhi with barrels containing latex.A top Railway official told The Hindu that they had been able to rope in the largest aggregator of latex in the Kottayam-Pathanamthitta districts for operating the goods train as Railways could not undertake the task.Railway authorities visited the region to meet those aggregating the latex and managed to rope them in and start the Kairali White from the Thiruvalla station.The second in the Kairali train series follows the transportation of bitumen for the second time from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), Kochi, to Assam last week. Kairali Black’s first trip with 42 wagons containing 12,600 barrels of bitumen was to Bhutan.The Bogie Covered Wagon Air Braked (BCN) wagon that was used for transporting bitumen will be used in the case of latex too. The other modalities are being worked out by Railways, the official said.The new goods train is part of a three-pronged strategy chalked out by Railways to corner a major chunk of the produce being transported from here to major cities by road.

Latex, which is rich in rubber, can be preserved by adding ammonia and for special purposes, it can be transported to any place where it is processed as latex concentrate in liquid form. This is done in barrels or in tank containers. Normally, the harvested latex is filtered, diluted with water, and then coagulated using acetic acid or formic acid or by means of electrophoresis.

Two-third of the time can be saved if freight is moved through the rail network, and it will benefit the State economy and the business community.