All You Need To Know About Asia’s Longest Freight Train ‘Rudrastra’, Indian Railways’ 4.5 Km-Long Pride!

Indian Railways has now launched Asia’s longest freight train. Named ‘Rudrastra’, it spans nearly 4.5 kilometres. The train has been built by joining six standard rakes into a single formation, making it the longest in Asia! It was operated for the first time on August 7.  Here’s what we know so far.

East Central Railway Operates Asia’s Longest Freight Train, ‘Rudrastra’

🚆 भारतीय रेल में नया कीर्तिमान!

पूर्व मध्य रेल ने देश मे पहली बार 4.5 किमी लंबी ‘रूद्रास्त्र’ मालगाड़ी चलाई — 354 वैगन, 6 रेक, 7 इंजन। डीडीयू मंडल के गंजख्वाजा से धनबाद मंडल के लिए चला रुद्रास्त्र। समय की बचत, क्षमता में बढ़ोतरी और नवाचार का बेहतरीन उदाहरण! #Rudrastra pic.twitter.com/noVyIYRFp6

— East Central Railway (@ECRlyHJP) August 7, 2025

Indian Railways has now set a new milestone! East Central Railway recently operated the 4.5 km long ‘Rudrastra’ freight train for the first time in the country. Built by joining six standard rakes, it has 35 wagons and seven engines. In its trial, it ran from Ganjkhawaja in the DDU division to the Dhanbad division. East Central Railway called it a “stellar example of time-saving, increased capacity, and innovation!”

As per a report by The Financial Express, the six rakes had been run jointly. If they had been run separately, the scheduling, crew arrangements and routing would have taken a lot more time. This is why authorities combined them into a single train and called it ‘Rudrastra’.

Also Read: Indian Railways To Add 17,000 Non-AC Coaches In 5 Years; Aims To Make Travel Affordable For Budget Travellers

Impact Of Rudrastra On Freight Operations 

Reportedly, this train can significantly cut down on time, manpower and operational expenses. It will also expedite freight movement, making it a cost-effective option while directly boosting India’s logistics sector. The Union Railway Minister also shared a video of the train with the caption that read, “’Rudrastra’ – Bharat’s longest freight train (4.5 km long)”.

Touted to be Asia’s longest freight train, it will also lower fuel consumption per tonne of goods, reduce congestion on freight corridors and save time in cargo movement. Rudrastra will also prove to be cost-efficient for industries that rely on bulk goods transport. It’s also being deemed an ‘engineering feat’ because handling such a massive train requires highly skilled coordination between crew members, signal operators and control centres.

Also Read: Passengers Can Now Book THESE 8 Vande Bharat Express Trains Just 15 Min Before Train’s Arrival

Indian Railways has definitely set a new milestone with Rudrastra, the longest freight train in the country’s history!

Cover Image Courtesy: East Central Railway/ X