Mumbai, Aug. 21 -- Once confined to Indian Railways' regular network, the service now extends to the high-capacity Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp. of India Ltd (DFCCIL) has introduced rail-based parcel logistics on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), with global e-commerce major Amazon and several other supply chain players as customers.

The Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) marks a significant advance in rail-based parcel logistics on the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs). Earlier available only on the Indian Railways' regular network as part of the broader parcel service framework, the service has now been extended to the high-capacity WDFC. It was inaugurated by Dr Manoj Singh, Member Operations & Business Development, Railway Board, in the presence of Praveen Kumar, Managing Director, DFCCIL, and other senior officials.

Bookings placed through the Freight Business Development (FBD) portal enable JPP-RCS to provide an integrated rail-and-road logistics solution covering collection, loading, unloading, scheduled rail transport and final delivery. This offers a dependable option for long-distance parcel movement. Operations have commenced on the New Dadri (Delhi NCR)-New Motidau (Mehsana, Gujarat)-New Ancheli (Navsari, Gujarat) corridor, with the first service originating from New Dadri on August 18. The return service from New Ancheli to New Dadri began on August 20, creating a daily two-way schedule.

The corridor spans about 1,200 km one way, connecting key logistics and industrial centres across northern and western India. New Motidau serves as an intermediate loading and unloading point, adding flexibility for parcel operators.

Driving Logistics Growth

The service runs as a scheduled end-to-end operation with a rake composition of 15 Luggage Van Parcel Hubs (LVPH) and one Seating-cum-Luggage Rake (SLR), with a transit time of around 23 hours. Supported by the Virtual Aggregation Platform (VAP) of the FBD portal, customers can book parcel space online up to 180 days in advance, with digital tracking and integration with aggregator websites. Freight charges are calculated on the carrying capacity of the Vehicle Parcel (VP) and levied as per the applicable Joint Parcel (JP) Scale notified by the Railway Board, with return-trip discounts to encourage balanced utilisation.

The service is expected to generate about Rs.2.1 million per round trip, translating into an annual revenue potential of nearly Rs.760 million under regular operations. It opens new opportunities for parcel operators, logistics providers, e-commerce businesses, manufacturers and traders seeking reliable, time-sensitive transport solutions.

Until now, parcel services through NMGHS primarily catered to destinations up to Ahmedabad. With JPP-RCS on the DFC, traffic can now move beyond Ahmedabad, enabling Surat-Mumbai bound parcels to be carried and further connected to their destinations.

By shifting suitable long-distance freight from road to rail, the JPP-RCS supports the broader objective of integrated logistics efficiency.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Infrastructure Today.