Category Archives: Rail/Road

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 …

In a bid to generate more revenue through freight transportation, the South Central Railway (SCR) has decided to develop a new Gati Shakti Multi Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) Gadchandur railway station (at Secunderabad Division.) As per information, the new terminal will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 15,2 crore at Gadchandur railway station. The development work will be carried out by M/s Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, which secured the tender issued by the zonal railway, said report. Under the contract, which has been signed for a period of 35 years, the construction and maintenance of the terminal will be performed by M/s Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, Chandrapur. No terminal fees will be assessed on cargo for which the GCTO himself is the consignor or consignee. The railways will be responsible for paying all operational and maintenance costs associated with a variety of assets, including overhead equipment, signal, track, and communication charges, added reports. The latest signed contract also includes the installation of an additional rail line, building a covered shed, laying concrete, installing a Hamali lavatory, building an electronic in-motion weighbridge, building an approach road, and setting up a water supply. Additionally, electrification of additional tracks and the installation of FOIS and TMS will also take place as part of the project.

The Indian Railways has achieved the yearly milestone in freight transportation by crossing the 1,000 million tons (MT) mark in this fiscal, said an official statement. Till date, the railways has loaded 1,002 MT of freight in the current fiscal. Earlier, this milestone was achieved on December 24, 2021, and as on December 6, 2021, the railways had achieved a freight loading of 926.4 MT. During this financial year, the national transporter has registered an incremental loading of 76.3 MT with growth rate of 8.25 per cent. “In revenue terms, the railways freight revenues stood close to Rs 1,08,593 crore in the current year vis-a-vis Rs 93,532 crore during last year till December 6, thus showing an improvement of 16.10 per cent,” the statement added.”

The Ministry of Railways will roll out projects worth Rs. 90,000 crore in the months ahead to remove bottlenecks in the movement of freight, said Union minister for railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw at the 17th Foundation Day of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCC). “Till now, we have identified projects worth Rs. 90,000 crore, or $10 billion, to remove all potential bottlenecks in the movement of freight. Some of these are small projects, some are bigger in scale. The projects will be sanctioned in the coming months, and will help us realise the aspiration of loading 3,000 million tonnes (mt) of goods,” Vaishnaw said. At the start of the financial year, the ministry had rolled out a Rs 1.5-trillion procurement plan to augment railway performance. “The prime minister sincerely believes that the only way to transform the Indian economy is to transform Indian Railways. This shows that the support for railways is foremost in the minds of the top leadership of this country,” the railways minister said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the much-awaited National Logistics Policy (NLP) in the national capital on September 17 which, he said, was an important step towards the ‘making of a developed India,’ while adding that the policy has come with a ‘new energy for every sector.’ In his address, PM Modi said, “In the Amrit Kaal, the country has taken an important step towards the making of a developed India. The echo of ‘Make in India’ and ‘India becoming self-reliant’ is everywhere. India is setting big export targets and is also fulfilling them. India is emerging as a manufacturing hub. In such a situation, the National Logistics Policy has brought new energy for all sectors.” The NLP also aims at enhancing competitiveness and seamless movement of goods. At the grand event, Modi also focused on setting up Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLPs), developing infrastructure and enhancing multimodal connectivity. “The government, both at centre and state, would prepare a master plan for logistics that will cover projects planned by different ministries to ensure multi-modality, optimal modal mix and addressing first and last mile connectivity. The policy also makes way for a framework to set up Multi-modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs), which will be adopted by states and central ministries. This aims at seamless integration of various modes of transport. A framework will also be put in place for accelerated development of warehousing, which will address key aspects, such as standards, benchmarking and rating, and adoption of technology enabled solutions.”