Container Corporation of India (Concor) will run regular or weekly trains between Kandla International Container Terminal (KICT) and its inland container depots (ICDs), according to a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides on Tuesday.
Concor has been running trains between its ICD at Jodhpur and KICT carrying boxes meant for coastal movement since February. “With this agreement, the partnership has been extended to the export-import (EXIM) sphere as well, covering leading ICDs of Ludhiana, Tuglakabad, Khodiyar and Khanej, among many others,” a KICT spokesman told BusinessLine .
KICT is a unit of Mumbai-based logistics firm JM Baxi Group.
“The container train services by Concor shall run regular or weekly between KICT and various ICDs with an assured arrangement of prompt reception by KICT of the incoming Concor trains at the rail yard from the serving station and returning to the serving station for onward movement with the import loads meant for various ICDs within 48 hours. This will now help the trade to book import shipments ex-Kandla to various ICDs and send export shipments from the hinterlands of India to different parts of the world,” the KICT spokesman said.
The MoU was signed by Sanjay Swarup, Director, International Marketing and Operations, Concor, in the presence of V Kalyana Rama, CMD of Concor, and Dhruv Kotak, Joint Managing Director, JM Baxi Group, on behalf of KICT.
KICT was awarded a concession by Deendayal Port Trust (formerly Kandla Port Trust) to develop, operate and maintain a 6 lakh TEU capacity a year container terminal at Berth Nos 11 and 12 at Deendayal Port Trust.
The terminal has a draft of 13 metres that can accommodate 65,000-75,000 DWT vessels. With a length of 545 metres, the berths are equipped with four rail mounted quay cranes, eight rubber-tyred gantry cranes, four reach stackers and 24 tractor trailers. The terminal has a backup area of 18.74 hectares.
The railway siding No 12 is the dedicated railway corridor to the container terminal for attracting rail-borne cargo.