Trains to fly
 

Hi !
Just checked this news out :

India has sought the services of Kazakhastan government to airlift 30-odd rail coaches from Chennai and two diesel locomotives from Varanasi to Srinagar for the Qazigund-Srinagar-Baramulla section of railways, now under construction.

An SOS from India to Kazakhastan was sent after realising that Indian Air Force did not have transport aircraft big enough to lift the coaches buit at the Integral Coach Facotry (ICF), Railway Ministry sources told PTI on Tuesday.

The biggest aircraft that India has is IL-76, which cannot accomodate the specially-designed coaches to run on the stretch to the valley, they said

The only option left was to approach countries having AN-124.

Kazakhastan was one of the countries approached and it had responded favourably by agreeing to provide the aircraft. The world's largest heavy-lift cargo aircraft AN-124, possesed by the Central Asian state, was capable of airlifting these coaches as also the locomotives, they said.

The coaches and the locomotives were to be airlifted for the new rail link between Udhampur and Baramulla. The work on the 140 kms Qazigund-Baramulla rail line was in full swing and train services between Udhampur and Katra streching over 25 kms would be operational by March next year.

Earlier, work on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Qazigund stretch was stopped following the kidnapping and killing of the IRCON engineer Pundeer Kumar and his brother near the construction site, they said.

But before the work on the project could resume after the incident, the government was faced with the task of transporting the coaches and the diesel locomotives for the train.

The AN-124 would airlift the 30-odd coaches and two-to-three diesel locomotives only till Srinagar airport and from there they would be transported by road.

With the transportation of the coaches and diesel locomotives being sorted out, the Qazigund-Baramulla railway section would probably be completed in 2006, a full one year behind the scheduled 2005 dateline.

( source : Rediffmail.com:ok:

Thought the AN-225 was the largest. I know they only made a few - are they all non-operational now? Took some pics of one once, spectacularily demonstrating.

Not the first time. When Iarnrod Eireann (Irish Rail) bought the 200 series of locomotives from General Motors, to allow time to staff training they had the first one flown over in an AN-124 (rest came by ship ... a wee bit slower!).

This February the sole operational An-225 was used to transport 8 Siemens rail cars (4 per flight) from Honolulu to Milwaukee via Anchorage.

The second An-225 was only partially assembled; one cost estimate for its completion is $200 million.

There seems to be a demand for the Ruslan's payload capability. According to Rotornut's post in the spotter's corner, they're resuming production:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=143770

Why on earth do they have to send an "SOS" for what appears to be a perfectly straightforward An124 commercial charter ?

The AN124 is the world's second largest A/C, the largest being the AN225.
There is only one AN225 in existence, fully operational and flying commercially whilst it is understood the 2nd of these aircraft is being completeted at the factory close to Kyiv.
I doubt it was not only Kazakhastan who answered the supposed SOS, it's more likely that they responded with a quotation cheaper than their competitors!

Do Kazakstan have any An124s though?

KLM

If i remember correctly (it was 10 years ago) the trains for the Manchester Metrolink system were 'Heavylifted' from Italy to MAN. Don't remember the aircraft though.

Do Kazakstan have any An124s though?

KLM



If at all, twas probably a broker providing someone elses aeroplane. Such attention to 'fact' is not so important when the media becomes involved!

Kazakh dont have any, Russian Mil, Volga Dnepr RA , ADB UR , Polet RA, Libyan AirCargo 5A, and UAE Royal Family UR have them.

"TRAINS TO FLY"

They probably could as most are now built by Ex Aircraft Engineers who have left the industry because of very poor pay and conditions.

Well, the various trains built by Bombardier for Virgin Trains (in the UK) are a load of c**p!! :*

KLM