B'luru-KPCT weekly train service to commence from June 19

 The Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal (KPCT) and Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) today announced the launch of a weekly cargo train service between the city and the port in Andhra Pradesh from June 19, helping business houses overcome hassles in movement of heavy cargo by road.

The train service, available for the first time for the business houses in and around Bengaluru, will ply between White Field Depot (WFD) in Bengaluru and the Port directly, KPCT officials said.

The service will immensely benefit movement of heavy cargoes like granite, gherkins, coffee, machinery and others which face regulatory issues due to the weight restrictions on road transport, they said.

"CONCOR and KPCT have come together; this is our second venture together. I'm sure there is a third and the fourth in the pipeline that we are already discussing. Here we are going to start a weekly train..." KPCT Executive Director Captain Sriram Ravi Chander told reporters here.

He said: "This is express connection that we are planning; this would be subsequently increased in numbers as the patronisation happens."

KPCT said the train will start running from June 19 from White Field Depot on every Friday evening, and will return on Sundays from the Port carrying the goods imported by traders and deliver the containers on Monday in Bengaluru.

Stating that the KPCT train turnaround time is also the fastest amongst all south Indian Ports, the company said with its on-dock-rail sidings, the containers can directly enter the yard of the terminal without wasting time like other ports wherein delays occur in shifting container from rail siding to container yard.

Responding to a question on such train services in pipeline, Chander said, "One more location I would like to disclose at this point of time is Nagpur, there is another location which I wouldn't mention at this point of time, but that would be post GST regime whenever that happens..."

Currently, handling 41 MMT, Krishnapatnam Port has emerged as the largest non-major port in south India and the second largest in India. The throughput of the port has also grown significantly by 60 per cent in the last fiscal, he said.

"The growth of 60 per cent is year-on-year, compared to last year this year has been quite high...; container terminal growth as well as the port growth both have been 60 per cent," he said.

Responding to a question about growth expectations for next year, he said, "Definitely, we are expecting for a hundred per cent growth, it will also be dependent on the Indian economy, but we are hopeful..."

Chander also said that the current capacity of the port is 1.2 million TEUs, which is expected to increase to 6 million TEUs in 5 years.

"A capacity 6 million will be achieved, we should place a target of 5 years. With in five years from now we will see that kind of capacity addition happening. It is lot dependent on how also the government, world trade policies... all of this do...," he added.