Category Archives: Rail/Road

With the focus on making India ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim budget and said the government’s focus is now on Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas.” She said, “Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will have more modern airports, in the coming years, there will be 11% increase in overall infrastructure expenditure. Exports will be doubled to ₹1-lakh crore rupees,” said FM. Touching upon measures that will be taken to expand India’s railway infrastructure, Sitharaman announced, three major railway economic corridors including energy, mineral and cement corridor, a port connectivity corridor and a high traffic density corridor. “Railway projects have been identified under the PM Gati Shakti Yojana for enabling multi-modal connectivity. These will improve logistics efficiency and reduce costs. Decongestion of high traffic corridors will result in improving operations, which in turn would result in safety and higher travel speeds for passengers. These corridors, along with dedicated freight corridors, will accelerate our GDP and reduce logistic costs. Finance Minister also said that the government is focused on more comprehensive ‘governance, development, performance’ – termed as ‘GDP’.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is planning to induct 20 cargo trucks in a determined foray into organised freight business. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy inspected one of these trucks at the KSRTC central office and will flag off 20 on December 23, said reports. The government-owned bus operator has launched its freight business called ‘Namma Cargo’ to increase its its non-fare revenue. While the KSRTC has increased its freight traffic revenue from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2.5 crore a month, it’s planning to scale up operations. The induction of 20 ‘Namma Cargo’ trucks is a step in that direction,” added reports.

AVG Logistics acquires over 50 cold chain vehicles (reefer trucks) from global multinational companies to strengthen fleet operations, says release. “We acquired this fleet of 50 vehicles after detailed due diligence and assessment of vehicle quality, condition, wear & tear. This greatly enhances AVG’s ability to service recently signed a long-term contract with India’s largest MNC FMCG Company, both on the dry and frozen goods side,” company’s Managing Director and CEO Sanjay Gupta said in a statement. This acquisition takes the company’s total cold chain fleet strength to 275. AVG Logistics provides customised and technology-driven solutions across warehousing, distribution, and supply chain management.

DP World flagged off a first-of-its-kind dedicated rail freight service, ‘SARAL’ from Hazira in Surat, Gujarat, to the North Capital Region (NCR). True to its name, ‘SARAL’ which stands for Sustainable, Assured, Reliable, and Agile Logistics, will provide door-to-door sustainable cargo solutions for businesses based in South Gujarat and connect them to markets in and around NCR region and vice versa. The new SARAL rail freight service will link important markets in South Gujarat such as Surat, Vapi, Valsad, Vadodara, Bharuch, and Ankleshwar to markets in and around the NCR such as Western Uttar Pradesh, Eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, and South Punjab. Commenting on the launch of the SARAL service, Adhendru Jain, Vice President, Rail and Inland Terminals, DP World Subcontinent, said, “Ensuring resilient infrastructure and streamlined logistics is essential for enhancing economic growth and facilitating seamless domestic trade. Currently, the businesses in South Gujarat are primarily using roadways for cargo movement. SARAL, our new rail freight service, offers them a more sustainable way to move cargo with enhanced connectivity between Gujarat and NCR. In addition, our track and trace technology will provide complete visibility of the cargo to customers. We are deeply committed to create innovative solutions for our customers that are sustainable as well as efficient for the supply chain.” The SARAL service along with DP World’s multimodal network which provides the last and first mile connectivity facilitated by container trailer trucks, ensures secure delivery from the factory to the desired drop location within 72 hours. This multimodal play of truck and rail will lead to reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. DP World will also provide cargo owners with a sustainability certificate that highlights the reduction of CO2 …

Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) under the Ministry of Railways, GoI, is partnering with Japan-based “Innovation Thru Energy™” (ITE) to introduce groundbreaking IceBattery™ technology to the Indian market. CONCOR and ITE are jointly unveiling state-of-the-art temperature-controlled 20-feet & 40-feet (20FT/40FT) containers coupled with advanced DX (Digital) platforms, addressing critical issues in cold chain logistics, including environmental concerns, food wastage, the absence of a robust medical cold chain, and rising logistics costs. ITE, a leading manufacturer of green and sustainable cold chain solutions, offers cost-efficient supply chain solutions while reducing carbon emissions across train, sea, land, and air-cargo cold chains, as well as last-mile delivery. Key Features of 20F/40F IceBattery Container: Reduces energy consumption by 70~80%. Maintains temperatures between 2°C~10°C and 70~90% humidity without active power, extending perishable shelf life. While in operation 0% energy and 0% CO2 emission Save 70~0% CO2 emission, Carbon offset. Leverages the latest cold chain innovations to optimize resources, with a 12-hour charge providing 72 hours of temperature maintenance. Suitable for transporting perishable food items, non-food items, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other healthcare products.

MOVIN launches their second fleet of Electric Vehicles for first and last-mile deliveries in Bengaluru. MOVIN is dedicated towards the implementation of sustainable logistics solutions, and with their EVs, they aim to reduce 200 tons of CO2 emissions within the next year. JB Singh, Director, MOVIN Express said, “At MOVIN, we are committed to accelerating the adoption of clean energy mobility solutions, driving positive change in the logistics industry with a focus on sustainability, community, and technology. This transition to the electric fleet for our first and last mile delivery operations is a progressive move which embodies our unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility and signifies our drive to lead in sustainable logistics, delivering a greener and cleaner future. We are determined to continue electrifying our fleet across various cities in the coming months.”

According to a report by the Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency (ICRA), the road logistics industry of India is expected to undergo a growth of 6-9 per cent revenue increase year on year for the financial year of 2024. The key sectors with increased demand that will play a role in this growth would be e-commerce, FMCG, retail, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and industrial goods. The implementation of GST and e-way bills paved the way for an industry shift towards logistics players, which is another factor for the rise, the report says. It also mentioned the stability in volumes of e way usage and FASTag adoption indicating domestic trade and transportation activities.

The Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) is finishing up with their Multimodal Logistics Park within the Kadakola industrial area at Mysuru. The facility consists of an independent goods train terminal a designated rail line for effective transport of goods within the park. Currently the building finishing works and signalling works are in progress. The logistics park is expected to assist in elimination of big obstacles to export from the area, such as the absence of nearby airport/seaport. Operations at the park are expected to commence from December, 2023.

Geodis has expanded its network in Asia with strategic investments in its capabilities and digital and physical infrastructure in the region. The company has expanded its road network from Southeast Asia (SEA) to China – solidifying its position as a leader in providing secure day-definite, cost-efficient, and environmentally-friendly solutions connecting Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. The road network features advanced IoT technology and equipment for transporting goods securely for the High Tech, Semiconductor, Automotive, Engineering, Retail, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors. Investments have also been made to increase service frequency and to enhance its capabilities with dedicated customs brokerage and trade compliance teams at major border crossings to facilitate the seamless movement of goods. The Road Network integrates with major air and seaports to offer customers a variety of multimodal options to meet the challenges of today’s fast-moving environment and their need for agile and flexible supply chains. The road network to Shenzhen will be extended to Hong Kong, and in the near future to Indonesia, connected by an inter-modal road-sea service.

LP Logiscience, the warehousing and contract logistic arm of Liladhar Pasoo group, inaugurated a state of the art, Grade A, green warehouse in Bhiwandi, Mumbai. Spread over a private campus of 15 acers, with 5 Lakh sq.ft. of storage space, equivalent to 30,000 pallet positions, this is one of the largest 3PL multi-client facilities in India, and is equipped with the best in industry standards of fire and safety compliance. The warehouse is also equipped with infrastructure for sustainable resource management, and can generate up to 500KW of solar power, and store up to 4.5Lakh liters of water through rain water harvesting and operates EV and CNG vehicles for green distribution. Varun Gada, Director, LP Logiscience, said, “This has been a passion project and, the way I see it, also the future for state of the art, storage solutions. I am extremely honored to have the support of an extremely talented team of expert vendors, especially our warehouse developers, who made this possible within the timelines and for the faith and trust that our clients put in us. We are committed to providing value-added, customized solutions that are executed in a manner compliant with the highest industry standards of safety. We are also committed to driving efficiency by leveraging the best in tech innovation, while also creating sustainable and green warehouses to help our customers achieve their carbon emission goals. This facility in Bhiwandi is one big step in the direction. Apart from solar power and rainwater harvesting for the warehouse, we also aim to impact the local community and share the surplus power to meet the requirement of our immediate neighborhood. In the coming months, we also aim to …