Moving excavators by rail is a rare decision. However, logistics company CJ Darcl recently did just that, transporting these heavy construction equipment from Chennai to Ballabgarh in Haryana on specialised rakes to underscore a commitment towards sustainability and efficiency.
As many as 34 excavators, including models from Volvo CE, Komatsu India, and Caterpillar’s India dealer Gainwell Commosales. “This initiative closely aligns with the company’s mission to integrate eco-friendly practices into its logistics operations,” says Nikhil Agarwal, President, CJ Darcl Logistics.
The multimodal logistics solutions provider has road, rail, air, and shipping transportation verticals. Its fleet includes trucks, trailers, pullers, tippers, loaders, dumpers and hydraulic axles, apart from nearly 1,100 shipping containers.
Agarwal says the company has, since 2007, been handling cross-country railway movement of various commodities and heavy shipment for iron, steel, glass and other industries. The recent movement of construction equipment from Chennai is a first for the company, he says, adding that it plans to do it more regularly in future.
To avoid empty returns and use resources optimally, it plans to ferry back similar cargo to Chennai.
Choosing rail over road for cargo movement comes with several compelling benefits. Rail transport is often shorter than road travel, especially over long distances, marked by minimal congestions and delays, leading to timely delivery. It is also more economical for bigger consignments as trains can accommodate more in one go, thereby reducing the cost per unit. Moreover, rail transportation charges are largely fixed and this helps avert the cost fluctuations experienced in road transport due to variable fuel prices and tolls.
Environmentally, too, railway is a more sustainable mode of transport, entailing less greenhouse gas emissions per tonne-km vis-a-vis trucks. In sum, railway transport offers clients the triple advantages of cost-efficiency, reliability and sustainability, Agarwal says.
India has the world’s second largest road network at 55 lakh km, as against 1.32 lakh km of railways lines. Road accounts for 58 per cent of freight movement in the country, while 35 per cent is by rail, 6 per cent by waterways, and less than one per cent by air, according to a report by RSM Astute Consulting.
Cost of freight movement by road is ₹2.58 per tonne per km, while it is ₹1.41 per tonne per km by rail and ₹1.06 per tonne per km by waterways.