To speed up cargo movement, Rlys plans 200 Gati Shakti terminals
The Railways will look at developing an additional 200odd Gati Shakti multi-modal terminals to improve freight earnings and decongest existing tracks for faster passenger train movement.
The average cost per terminal is expected to be around ₹70 crore, as per initial estimates of Railways, which works out to around ₹14,000 crore, o cials aware of discussions said.
The Railways has earned over ₹2.56-lakh crore, with freight services accounting for 70 per cent.
Under the first phase of implementation of the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal Policy, 100-odd multi-modal terminals will be developed by 202425; around 77 are ready and commissioned at an estimated cost of ₹5,400 crore in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, among others. Some of the operators include Concor, Reliance, Adani, Western
Coalfields, Wonder Cements, JSW, SECL, IOCL, BPCL, among others.
Routes/stations include important industry points like Paradip, Jasoda and Dahej, among others.
“So once the first set of 100 terminals are completed, which would be by the end of this fiscal, Railways will tender for 200 more,” an o cial taking part in these discussions told businessline.
PVT PARTICIPATION
Gati Shakti cargo terminals can be developed by private players on both Railway and non-Railway land.
For terminals on non-Railway land, the operators will identify the location and construct the terminal after obtaining necessary approval.
In case of terminals coming up either fully or partially on Railway land, the land parcels will be identified by Railways and the operator for construction and operation of the terminal will be selected through open tendering process.
The Railways, says the o cial, is looking to push for greater share in the country’s overall freight tra c.
The Railways’ share in freight carried stands at 29 per cent, up from 27 per cent in 2020. The plan is to take it up to 35 per cent by 2030.