Govt to allow Road-Trains for goods transport on select corridors

Aimed at revolutioning the goods transport and reduce the overall logistic costs, the government is set to allow Road-Trains on select highways.

A Road-Train is a motor vehicle wherein the traction is provided by the puller, which is connected to a serial combination of trailers or semi-trailers.

To pave the way for new kind of transportation, the Automotive Industry Standards Committee has amended its AIS-113 Standard to include the safety requirements of Road-Trains. The Union Ministry of Road Transport has published the draft on its web site seeking comments from stake holders.

"These standards shall pave the way for a breakthrough intervention for a fast and efficient movement of goods along the long-distance freight corridors," the Ministry said in a statement.

The standards have been prepared after examining European benchmarks, keeping in mind Indian operating conditions.

The Automotive Industry Standards Committee comprising members from relevant Ministries, Testing Agencies and Industry stakeholders.

The amended standard AIS-113 (Code of Practice for Type Approval of Trailers / Semi-trailers of categories T2, T3 and T4 being towed by Motor Vehicles of categories N2 and N3) has been published for invitation of public comments, after which it shall be notified in due course, said the statement.