Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has asked Railways to increase LHB parcel vans production, stated a release, as Railways aims for steep growth in the parcel business.
Piyush Goyal also has directed introduction of e-payment and digital payment facilities, stated a release.
He also instructed that adequate steps must be taken to facilitate traffic movement from North-eastern region and hill states, and attract export traffic going towards ports, added the statement.
Railways need to focus on parcel business growth which is essential for small traders and businessmen, said the Minister.
Dedicated parcel terminals
In addition to these initiatives, Indian Railways is also planning to develop dedicated Parcel Terminals to make handling of Parcel consignments easier for the parties, and Sangola (Central Railway), Kacheguda (South Central Railway), Coimbatore (Southern Railway), and Kankariya (Western Railway) have already been identified for development as a pilot project.
During the last few months, Indian Railways has brought several initiatives to attract more business towards its parcel services.
They are running of Kisan Rail trains to facilitate movement of farm and agri-produce; grant of discounts on sectors where parcel vans and parcel trains are returning empty, among others.