Amazon India expands operations on Western Dedicated Freight Corridor

Amazon India has expanded its operations on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor in collaboration with Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd, a railway ministry PSU, with the flagging off of the train at New Dadri Railway Station on Tuesday, according to the company.

This makes Amazon the first e-commerce company to operate on the inaugural Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) train on the WDFC.

The daily rail movement will connect Amazon's northern and western network, with over 10 Van Parcels (VPs) operating on the route. This will shift the movement of shipments from surface transportation to rail, further strengthening multimodality while enabling more reliable and sustainable transportation.

 

The corridor will connect Amazon's network across key regions including Delhi, Ahmedabad and Surat, with onward connectivity to Pune, Mumbai and Goa, supporting the movement of shipments ahead of the festive season, it said.

The expansion strengthens the role of rail within Amazon's multimodal transportation network across northern and western India and builds on a long-standing collaboration with Indian Railways, that began in 2019, when Amazon became the first e-commerce company in India to leverage the railway network for express parcel movement, it said.

Amazon India said its rail network has grown from single train in 2019 to more than 140 trains operating across 130 intercity routes connecting over 100 destination cities.

"By expanding our use of dedicated freight infrastructure, we are increasing multimodality across our transportation network and leveraging rail as an economical, reliable, and sustainable mode of transportation. We look forward to further deepening our collaboration with Indian Railways and DFCCIL to strengthen our logistics network, improve operational efficiency, and support the evolving needs of our customers across India," said Kishore Lanka, Director-Operations, Amazon India.

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) spans approximately 1,504 kilometres from New Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) near Mumbai.

The DFCs are designed to decongest the existing rail network, increase the average speed of freight trains, enable the operation of heavy-haul trains, connect ports and industrial areas for faster movement of freight and reduce the overall cost of logistics.

"The DFC offers a greener, faster and more reliable mode of transportation, enabling cargo to travel overnight and reach its destination the next day. With the ability to move 350-400 tonnes within 24 hours, this service offers an economical and sustainable freight solution, including opportunities for smaller businesses to benefit from the DFC network," said Manoj Singh, Member (Operations and Business Development), Railway Board.