Asia's longest freight train 'Rudrastra'

• Indian Railways has successfully tested Asia's longest freight train 'Rudrastra'.

• The 4.5 km long train ran from Ganjkhwaja station in Uttar Pradesh to Garhwa in Jharkhand.

• The 209 km test took 5 hours 10 minutes and had an average speed of 40.5 kmph.

• Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the footage of the test and emphasised the role of Rudrastra in speeding up and improving freight movement.

• The train was built using three long-haul formations, each made up of two standard freight trains.

• In total, Rudrastra consisted of 345 wagons, with each empty wagon capable of carrying up to 72 tonnes of goods.

• The arrangement consisted of seven engines—two ahead and one strategically placed after each set of 59 wagons.

• All three rakes had 59 wagons, making this configuration equivalent to five freight trains linked together.