SCR partners with IIM Bangalore to boost freight business
Hyderabad, Oct 8 (TNT): South Central Railway (SCR) has partnered with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, to undertake a comprehensive study aimed at enhancing the rail coefficient and boosting freight business.
As part of the study, IIM Bangalore organised a Rail Business Conclave here on Thursday with freight customers and industry partners to discuss opportunities and strategies for increasing rail freight business.
SCR General Manager Shri Sanjay Kumar Srivastava was the chief guest.
SCR had engaged IIM Bangalore in February this year to study the freight market covering cement, coal, steel, agriculture, automobiles, ports and containers.
The study has also examined emerging opportunities such as new ports along the Andhra coast, the Jalna dry port, multimodal logistics parks, new steel plants, the EV cluster at Bidkin and the potential for new freight terminals and GatiShakti Cargo Terminals.
The conclave featured separate panel discussions on cement, coal and fly ash, chambers of commerce, ports, and cargo and container services, where stakeholders shared their experiences, suggestions, operational difficulties and strategies to enhance freight transportation.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Srivastava said Indian Railways had set a target of loading 3,000 million tonnes by 2030, with SCR and South Coast Railway (SCoR) together targeting 264 million tonnes.
He said the target was challenging but expressed confidence that it could be achieved with the support of stakeholders, industry and railway employees.
He assured industry representatives that SCR would examine issues relating to operational constraints, reliability, transit time, expansion plans and logistics requirements.
The General Manager also urged IIM Bangalore to convert the feedback received from industry representatives into actionable recommendations to enable the Railways to take corrective measures.
Senior railway officials and representatives of IIM Bangalore, along with delegates from cement industries, Singareni Collieries, thermal power stations, ports, chambers of commerce, warehousing and cargo and container services, participated in the conclave.
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