From Foodgrains to Cement: Like Passenger Services, Indian Railways Launches Time-Tabled Freight Trains

A senior official from the Railways Ministry said: “As per the existing system, the Railways provide rakes to customers as per their request. However, the timing of the whole process— loading, travel time and unloading — was not fixed.”

“We have charted out a special route in consultation with the zones. We analysed the train movement data and fixed the timing when the passenger train movement on the route will be less, allowing the freight train to pass on time. Thus, the ‘time-tabled’ freight train will not only ensure the reliability of the service, but will also contribute to capacity utilisation, reduce transit time and increase customer confidence,” said this official.

The Indian Railways has launched multiple new trains over August and September, including:

• The Annapurna Service from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), which will transport foodgrain over 996 km in around 24 hours
• The Gati-Vahan Service from Farrukhnagar (Haryana) to Lucknow (UP), which will transport automobiles over 557 km in 28 hours, down from the earlier 70-hour time
• The Niryaat Cargo Service from Garhi (Haryana) to Mundra Port (Gujarat) for containers, covering 1,061 km in 32 hours
• The Anantnag Cement Cargo Service from Roopnagar (Punjab) to Anantnag (Kashmir), transporting cement over 586 km in 31 hours.
• The official said stakeholders such as the Food Corporation of India (FCI), automobile operators, container train operators and adjacent railway zones were roped in to help plan, coordinate and chart suitable paths across the networks.

“We have also received feedback from our customers. FCI has appreciated the Annapurna Service for the supply of foodgrains from surplus areas of Punjab and Haryana to deficit regions in Uttar Pradesh. It helped them to arrange labour and trucks for unloading points,” said the official cited above.

“Under the Gati-Vahan Service, Maruti Suzuki is able to transport their cars in reduced transit time from 70 hours to 28 hours. Exporters using the Niryaat Cargo Service have reported less transit times than earlier to Mundra Port. This helps them timely coordination with ports and shipping companies. Cement firms have welcomed the Anantnag Cement Cargo Service and the opening of the Anantnag goods shed in Kashmir,” they added.

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