Indian Railways throws weight behind port connectivity projects

The Indian Railways is stepping up efforts on port connectivity projects. According to official estimates, the rail network ferries 25-27 per cent of major port traffic. The aim is to increase this share to 32-35 per cent of 925 million tonnes (mt) by 2026, and to 40-45 per cent of 1,200 mt by 2030.
 
The national transporter has been throwing its weight behind connecting major ports (such as Kandla, Mundra, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Visakha­patnam, among others) to the rail network. In all, the railways has been working on 30 port connectivity projects covering a total length of 4,145 route kilometres at an anticipated cost of Rs 43,682 crore. Of these, less than half has been commissioned so far.
 
“Projects under Vision 2024 are part of the first phase of this exercise. Two dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) will be commissioned before 2026 to allow traffic to grow to 32-35 per cent of total freight share, from the current 27 per cent. In the second phase, the railways aims to develop three new DFCs before 2030 to cater to 45 per cent of the total freight share,” said a rail ministry official.
 
India has a coastline spanning 7,516.6 km — forming one of the biggest peninsulas in the world. It is serviced by 14 major ports and 205 notified minor and intermediate ports. A majority of the ports are present in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

 
According to the Ministry of Shipping, 95 per cent of India’s trading by volume and 70 per cent by value is done through maritime transport. Of the 1,200-mt total traffic handled by Indian ports, nearly 700 mt is handled by the 14 major ports. The rest 500 mt is handled by the minor ports.
 
“Since 60 per cent of all port traffic is concentrated at the 14 major ports, adequate multimodal connectivity has to be in place for providing constant flow of traffic into and out of the port. According to the national rail plan, the traffic handled at the major ports is likely to increase from the current 700 mt to 925 mt by 2026 and 1,400 mt by 2030,” said a rail ministry official.
 
In order to meet project growth in demand, the Indian Railways has ident­ified some works on priority basis with a targeted compl­etion by 2024. These cover doubling, tripling, and addi­ng a fourth line in some cases.
 
“The western ports of Gujrat and JNPT in Maharashtra will get connected to the northern hinterland of Rewari in Haryana, as well as Punjab (Ludhiana) through the Western DFC, along with feeder routes. The connectivity of Kolkata and Haldia ports to the Eastern DFC will be established through the Sonnagar–Dankuni leg of the eastern corridor,” added the official.