Railways proposes ‘parcel trains’ to transport garment consignments

Railways have come up with an offer to run special ‘parcel trains’ from Tirupur to Chennai once in three days to transport garment consignments to upcountry locations if the traders from Tirupur knitwear cluster are ready to bulk their cargoes for dispatch.

Representation

The proposal had come from the Railways side after the small-scale garment traders from Tirupur knitwear cluster started making representations to the Railways over the difficulties they face since Railways stopped the loading of cargoes in the parcel vans of those passenger trains that stop less than five minutes in Tirupur from the latter half of May.

Divisional Railway Manager (Salem division) Shubhranshu told

The Hindu that since the Railway Board’s permission was not required to run special ‘parcel trains’, it could be operated as soon as the traders show their willingness to bulk their cargoes for dispatch. The trains would be either run as special trains comprising parcel vans alone or parcel vans would be tagged to regular passenger trains depending on the volumes of cargo bulked once in two or three days.

North-Eastern states

“We will also provide further connections from Chennai to various parts of the country, especially to Kolkata and North-Eastern states, as the traders who have represented their predicament were mostly worried over the transportation of cargoes to those eastern parts of the country,” he said.

On why the cargo loading in passenger trains that stop less than five minutes were terminated in Tirupur, the Divisional Railway Manager said that the stoppage time of majority of the passenger trains were shortened to two minutes at stations like Tirupur only to improve overall average speed.

Revenue

“Of course, revenue from cargoes get slightly affected because of the stoppage of cargoes loading into passenger trains that stop less than five minutes in Tirupur but at the same time Railways are committed to ensure punctuality to passengers,” he added.