Train Carriages Air Transported Through PIA

Train carriages air transported through PIA:

February 26, 2009    From Michael-Guenther Boelsche and Grit Buettner

Parchim--- a bit cold and misty, the apron of Parchim airport was filled with silence. Heavy-duty transportation equipment docked near the road, waiting to load Bombardier’s train carriage destined for India.

3 o'clock, Monday, the carriage, which was 42 meters long and 45 tons heavy, was carried from Bombardier's Görlitz plant to Parchim airport by heavy-duty transportation equipment. AN124 was standing at the apron alone, while the crew (19 members) was taking a rest in a hotel of Spornitz.

Photo: A scene of bustle and hustle on the apron

At 8 o'clock, the bustle and hustle began. The airport staff and the Russian experts started to prepare for loading. Forklifts would carry 16 transport devices through the airport apron to the plane's nose department. The devices were supposed to form the transport orbit through which the carriage would be loaded on board by cranes later.  The first section of the orbit was gradually moved to the nose before the staff quickly went into the cabin. The plane started refueling and the necessary power had already been recharged by the airport facilities while it docked at the apron.

Suddenly, the plane’s machinery started, accompanied by loud whistling sounds. These are the motors of the hydraulic pump in an effort to close the nose. Only then can the height of the ramp be adjusted.

Meanwhile many onlookers gathered here. There were many people concerned about this matter. Peter Hilbert from Parchim said "I wish the first flight of this year success and hope more to follow. I'm very pleased to see Parchim making progress. Every success takes time." A citizen from Grabow also hoped for some change here and more job opportunities. "Although I have been in doubt, but have never been desperate. And I believe that everything will get better and better." he commented.

Loading Procedure
Around 11 o’ clock, two cranes moved forward. First, the lengths were measured, so that the position can be fixed. Finally, the 45-ton carriage was lifted and held in balance.

Shortly after 13 o’clock, customs officials arrived. 45 minutes later, the carriage was put onto the track. Shortly thereafter, it was pulled by a winch piece by piece through the 36.5-meter-long belly of the giant transport aircraft. After arrival at the destination, the carriage would be unloaded in the same way.

In the late afternoon, the blue-white-painted Antonov set off. It would fly 6359 kilometers to New Delhi. It was expected to arrive in the Indian capital after nearly ten hours’ flight. "I am proud and happy. It shows that we can assume operation of such a large cargo and do a good job. This is purely living advertisement." said Parchim airport operator Rolf Eichhorn.

The 60-kilometer-long subway line in New Delhi expects a maximum of four million passengers a day. Bombardier is to build 106 trains with a total of 424 carriages to this end. 36 carriages are assembled in Görlitz. The rest but the first four will be transported by ship. Bombardier has built a new plant in India for the big order of 514 million euros.

On Friday the second carriage will be transported in Parchim, two weeks later the last two, said an employee of the airport. Despite expensive charges of air transport, Logistics Director of Bombardier Stephan Krenz said they would like to quickly put the first metro train of the new series into planned test runs in India. The train would soon be on track to collect experience and results of further tests for Delhi’s Metro fleet "Movia '.