Indian Railways Freight Transport: Freight Firms Seek Private Investment, Modern Wagons and Lower Costs

Some of the country’s leading freight transport firms have proposed certain steps that could help improve freight transport services on Indian Railways. The demand for this was made during the National Freight Seminar conducted by the Center for Transport Research and Management (CTRAM) at the SCOPE Complex in Delhi. The firms have asked for freight and parcel wagon investment in the current policy framework. The theme of the seminar was "Synergy on Track: Transforming India's Logistics - Rail Express Revolution."

The delegates have recommended adopting this system on dedicated corridors where the traffic is low, since this would ease the process of freight transport. According to Rinkesh Roy, the CEO of JSW Infra, the Freight and Parcel Wagon Investment Scheme would help increase the capacity of freight transport using private investments, which would be beneficial for the freight sector. He said that it was necessary to ensure cost parity between road and rail in short haulage container freight transport. It was also recommended that port fees, rail freight and last mile freight costs be taken into consideration. The representatives also highlighted that there were not enough such wagons available with the railways.

Concor's Director of International Markets and Operations, Vijay Kumar Singh, called for the introduction of modern machinery and systems for simultaneous loading and unloading of large cargo. He also urged the purchase of new BOBNS wagons for iron ore transportation. Prabhat Kumar of Tata International Logistics, Mahendra Birhade, Chief Operating Officer of DP World Rail, and Anil Gambhir, Chief Financial Officer of DTDC, also made suggestions.