Railway Board to launch first assured transit time container train between Delhi, Kolkata from Oct 1
New Delhi (PTI): Indian Railway will launch its first assured transit time container train service on a pilot basis between Delhi and Kolkata from October 1, officials said.
The train service will start from Tughlakabad in Delhi and reach Kolkata via Agra and Kanpur in a guaranteed transit time of 120 hours, marking a significant milestone in the logistics sector, they said.
“The train will be operated by Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) and it will connect four of its Inland Container Depots (ICDs) on the route starting from Tughlakabad in Delhi. So the route will be Tughlakabad (TICD), Agra (ICDY), Kanpur (ICDG) and Kolkata (CTKR/CTCS),” a senior railway official said.
“It will operate on a bi-weekly schedule, departing every Wednesday and Saturday. A unique feature of this service is the hub-and-spoke cargo facility at Agra and Kanpur, enabling efficient cargo aggregation for a wider catchment area,” the Railway Board said in a statement.
Additionally, customers will benefit from the waiver of empty wagon haulage charges from Tughlakabad to Kanpur, further enhancing cost efficiency, it said.
Officials clarified that if the train or some of the containers remain empty from the starting point at Tughlakabad and up to Kanpur, the loss will not be compensated by charging additional fare from the customers.
According to the Ministry, the pilot project is expected to provide multiple advantages to customers, including door-to-door assured and reliable delivery for time-sensitive cargo, a competitive alternative to road transport, enhanced connectivity for northern hinterland cargo, and priority benefits for early adopters.
“It also contributes to sustainability by promoting a modal shift from road to rail, reducing the carbon footprint, and supporting India’s commitment to green logistics. Through this initiative, Indian Railways and CONCOR reaffirm their focus on customer-centric, reliable, and sustainable logistics solutions,” the Ministry said.
The launch of this assured transit train service represents a transformative step towards a more efficient and environmentally responsible supply chain ecosystem, it stressed.
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Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
