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The Southern Railway's Thiruvananthapuram Division has started transporting bitumen by rakes as part of the consignment from BPCL's Kochi Refinery to Bhutan.
The service, flagged off from here, is as per an MoU signed between the public sector oil company and the Bhutan Government for supply of bitumen for one year.
The cargo is meant for road-laying in Bhutan.
This is the first consignment of 12,600 barrels of bitumen and the Railway will move three rakes a month. The cargo movement assumes significance for BPCL-KR as it is the first time it is moving the product by rail and exporting it too.
Each train will consist of 42 wagons and the Railway will generate a revenue of Rs 91 lakh as freight charges from each service, Mr George John, Area Manager, Southern Railway, Ernakulam, told Business Line .
‘Kairali Black'
The final destination of the train service is Falakatta in West Bengal and, from there, the consignment will be moved by trucks to the unloading point, he said, adding that the service will be in full swing after undertaking the necessary infrastructure developments at the loading point, including building a platform.
The Railways will also make round-the-clock arrangements at the loading point, he said.
He termed the service the first international contract for the Railways, which expects to generate more revenues in the coming years.
The Railways christened the service Kairali Black, which extends the concept of Kairali Queen, a dream project of the Thiruvananthapuram Division. Mr Rajesh Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, has taken the initiative for this project, meant to showcase Kerala brand products such as spices, cashew and rubber in north Indian markets.
Petro products, coal
According to Mr John, the Thiruvananthapuram Division is coordinating with government agencies such as the Spices Board, the Coir Board and various transport agencies to move products to different markets, either through wagons or containers. Besides, the division is also transporting petroleum products from BPCL-KR to various parts of the State. An average 80-90 rakes per month move products to upcountry destinations also.
The Railways is also engaged in moving imported fertilisers and cement from Kochi Port to many manufacturing units. Coal movement, which was suspended almost a year and a half back, is expected to re-start shortly, he added.
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