Swiss tunneling technology in India! Indian Railways to use advanced tunneling model for mega projects like Rishikesh-Karan Prayag and Udhampur-Srinagar, reveals Ashwini Vaishnaw

Source: Financial Express, 13 February 2024

The Indian Railways is all set to ink a formal collaboration with Swiss firms for tunneling works for its marquee projects, including the Rishikesh-Karna Prayag New Railway Line and the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL).

An MoU between the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (DETEC) of the Swiss Confederation and the Ministry of Railways for technological cooperation in the railway sector is under consideration, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

The partnership will work on various aspects of a railway project including rolling stock, railway infrastructure, rail safety, train scheduling and operation improvement, multimodal transport, new technologies and innovation, and other areas which will be jointly identified by the participants, Vaishnaw added.

Notably, the 125-km Rishikesh-Karanprayag project is being developed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla project is under the Indian Railway Construction International Limited.

On BJP MP Vijay Pal Singh Tomar’s question on the government’s measure to collaborate with its Swiss counterpart for efficient use of existing technology, Vaishnaw informed that the Indian Railways’ central public sector enterprises have collaborated with Swiss firms in the area of tunneling for projects such as the Rishikesh-Karanprayag New Railway Line and the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link with special focus on the Hub-and-Spoke model and advanced tunneling technology.

Bringing Swiss tech to India
Earlier last month in January, Ashwini Vaishanav mentioned that Indian Railways is set to collaborate with the Swiss railway through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to glean insights from their best practices and methodologies. He stated that Indian Railways has the potential to learn from Switzerland, citing their expertise in the hub-and-spoke model and tunneling technology.

Vaishanav also highlighted Switzerland’s achievements in tunneling technology, exemplified by the world’s longest 57-km Gotthard tunnel.

It is noteworthy that Swiss railways work on an innovative track structure called Hub-and-Spoke design, where multiple trains converge at a central hub simultaneously, allowing passengers to easily switch between trains.

Understanding Hub-and-Spoke technology
The Hub-and-Spoke design is a transportation or network configuration where a central hub is connected to various spokes or outlying destinations. This transportation system aims to efficiently manage the flow of passengers or goods.

The hub is a central location where transportation services converge. It serves as a connecting point for various routes. Hubs are strategically located and well-connected, allowing for easy transfers between different modes of transportation.

The spokes represent routes extending from the hub to different destinations. These routes radiate outward from the central hub, connecting it to various locations. Passengers or goods typically travel between the spokes and the hub.

While India maintained its commitment to end-to-end connectivity, Switzerland’s system operates around the Hub-and-Spoke model with six major hubs and connecting spokes.

IMEC to make trade with Europe 40% faster than Suez route

Source: Financial Express, 17 October 2023

The agreement for development of Tuna Tekra all weather deep container terminal, under the IMEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) initiative, is expected to reduce the trade time and deepen the economic and trade engagements among India, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United States, UAE, European Union. Italy, France and Germany.

Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) and DP World signed a concession agreement to develop the container terminal at Kandla port. According to this agreement, DP World will develop the terminal with a capital investment of Rs 4,500 crore. The terminal will have a 1,100 meter long berth, and will be capable of seamlessly handling next generation vessels. After the completion the terminal will be able to handle 2.19 million TEUs per annum. This trade corridor is expected to reduce the freight time between India and Europe by around 40% compared to the time taken via the Suez Route.

Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the terminal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “In this post-covid world, a new world order is taking place and the whole world is looking at India with new aspirations. IMEC will change the picture of world trade. This initiative will include next generation mega ports or international container transshipment port, Island development, Inland waterways development, multimodal hub development and other works. With initiatives like Sagarmala and PM GatiShakti, India is strengthening coastal infrastructure, increasing employment generation growth and ease of living for people in these regions.”

V R Reddy, Chief Engineer and Head of Deendayal Port Authority, said, “The development of the terminal will bring catalytic transformation to the landscape of Kutch region in the state of Gujarat. It will also create numerous direct and indirect job opportunities that in turn will lead to social and economic transformation of the region.”

Suresh Joseph, GM, DP World, said, “The container terminal will support the growth of the trailers, maintenance facilities, container freight stations, warehousing, value addition centers and many other services. This provides opportunities for local and national businesses to collaborate with the terminal. The conducive land use plan for the Tuna area by Deendayal Port Authority will help support the growth of the terminal to become a world class hub for maritime trade.”

During his virtual presence at the Global Maritime India Summit 2023, the third edition of the summit, Prime Minister also inaugurated 21 projects worth Rs 18,800 crore, launched Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 and more than 300 MoUs worth Rs 7.16 lakh crore were also signed.

It may be mentioned that Amrit Kaal Vision 2017 aims to develop 14 major carbon neutral ports, 14 Hydrogen/Ammonia hubs, 4X port capacity to 10,000 million tonnes with 100% PPP based development, and 5 smart ports. It also aims to increase inland water freight share to 12% from the current 6%, establish India as the leader in ship recycling, develop three maritime island cities to facilitate end-to-end activities and to develop various maritime professional services. The Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 targets to attract an investment of over Rs 20 lakh crore.

PM Modi lays foundation stone worth Rs 23,000 crore at Global Maritime Summit 2023

Source: Financial Express, 17 October 2023

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated the third edition of Global Maritime India Summit 2023 in Mumbai via video conferencing today. He unveiled ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, a blueprint for the Indian maritime blue economy, along with laying down the foundation stone for projects worth more than Rs 23,000 crore.

The Prime Minister recalled how the entire world was marred by the uncertainties of the Covid pandemic when the Summit took place in 2021, and emphasised that a new world order is taking shape today. In the changing world order, the world was looking at India with new aspirations. He stated that India’s economy is constantly strengthening in a world dealing with economic crisis, and the day is not far when India will become one of the top 3 economies in the world. Underscoring the role of sea routes in global trade, the Prime Minister emphasised the need for a reliable global supply chain in the post-Corona world.

He underlined the transformative impact of the historic G20 consensus on the proposed India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor. He said that as the Silk Route of the past changed the economy of many countries, this corridor too will transform the picture of global trade. Modi said that the Next Generation Mega Port, International Container Trans-shipment port, island development, inland waterways, and multi-modal hub will be undertaken under this leading to a reduction in business cost and environmental degradation will improve logistical efficiency and create jobs.

In the last decade, the capacity of major ports in India has doubled, and turnaround time for big vessels has come down to less than 24 hours as compared to 42 hours in 2014.

Furthermore, he underlined that Coastal Shipping Modes are also being modernised in India and informed that the coastal cargo traffic has doubled in the last decade, thereby providing a cost-effective logistic option for the people. Regarding the development of inland waterways in India, the Prime Minister informed that cargo handling of national waterways grew by four times. He also mentioned India’s improvement in the Logistics Performance Index in the last 9 years.

“India is going to become one of the top 5 ship-building nations in the coming decade. Our Mantra is ‘Make in India – Make for the world’”, the Prime Minister said.

Adani’s new mega port to lure world’s biggest ships to India

Source: Financial Express, 16 October 2023

When Zhen Hua 15 — a heavy load cargo carrier sailing from the East China sea — unloaded at Vizhinjam port on Sunday, it did more than just setting down the site’s first gigantic cranes. It also put India on the map for the world’s biggest container ships.

Located near the southernmost tip of the country, the Vizhinjam transshipment container port — the first of its kind in India — will allow the nation to grab a bigger slice of the international maritime trade currently dominated by China. It will also bolster its aspirations to be an alternative manufacturing hub by reducing logistics costs for cargo coming to and from the country.

The new terminal, inaugurated on Sunday, is another feather in the cap of Gautam Adani’s conglomerate, which faced a scathing short seller attack in January alleging corporate malfeasance — charges the Adani Group has denied. With a dominance that already spans ports, mines, airports and power utilities, Vizhinjam will further cement the billionaire’s status as India’s infrastructure king.

The proximity to international shipping routes that account for 30% of global cargo traffic, and a natural channel that goes as much as 24 meters (79 feet) below the sea makes Vizhinjam an ideal hub for some of the world’s biggest ships to call in. Until now, such ships had skipped India because its harbors weren’t deep enough to handle the vessels, and docked instead at ports such as Colombo, Dubai and Singapore.

Transshipment refers to transferring cargo from an original ship to another, bigger mother ship at a port on the way to the cargo’s final destination.

The much-awaited deep-sea port along Kerala’s scenic coastline has been developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. in collaboration with the local state government. Adani Ports, India’s largest private sector port operator with a 30% market share, is also developing Israel’s Haifa port and plans to build a hub in Vietnam as part of its expanding global footprint.

“The Indian ocean is 50% of sea trade,” said Chakri Lokapriya, chief investment officer at TCG Asset Management Co. in Mumbai. “The Vizhinjam port with its natural advantages will improve operating margins for Adani Ports.”

Adani Ports will invest 200 billion rupees ($2.4 billion) in Vizhinjam Transhipment Terminal by 2030, Managing Director and Chief Executive Director Karan Adani said on Sunday. The project has already received an investment of 77 billion rupees under the first phase.

The Vizhinjam project is strategically important for Adani Ports to gain a foothold in offering integrated supply-chain solutions to shipping lines, he said. The company has free cash flow of 70 billion to 80 billion rupees and will invest as much as 60 billion rupees every year to expand capacity, he said.

Poor shipping connectivity has hindered India’s integration into the global value chain, the Reserve Bank of India said in a 2022 report. India’s container traffic was only 17 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs,in 2020 versus China’s 245 million TEUs, according to a Feb. 7 statement from the ports ministry.

The Narendra Modi-led government told parliament that may change soon.

‘World’s Factory’

“The upcoming ports at Vizhinjam (Kerala) and Vadhavan (Maharashtra) have natural drafts in excess of 18 meters that would enable ultra large container and cargo vessels to call on the ports thereby boosting the efforts to make India the world’s factory” by improving the container and cargo traffic, the ministry said in the statement.

Vizhinjam port, according to the Adani Ports website, will offer a quick turnaround of vessels including Megamax container ships. It will have a capacity of 1 million TEUs in the first phase at an investment of 77 billion rupees. About 6.2 million TEUs will be added in the subsequent phases.

Receiving the first ship at Vizhinjam on Sunday was a spectacle in Kerala, with people flocking in large numbers to watch the docking. The communist-led regional government turned the event into a state-wide celebration, capitalizing on it as general elections loom.

Still, running a transshipment container terminal comes with challenges, even for an experienced company such as Adani Ports, which has already faced fishermen protests at the site. A rival facility in Vallarpadam, operated by Dubai Ports World, has been dogged by procedural delays.

The transshipment hub also needs to be connected by a network of road and rail links to warehouses and factories in the hinterland. A lack of such arterial support “can be the Waterloo” for any port, said Mathew Antony, managing partner of Aditya Consulting, an advisory firm specializing in infrastructure, ports and logistics.

The federal government is working on a plan called Maritime India Vision 2030 that seeks to develop world-class mega ports, transshipment hubs and modernize infrastructure at an estimated investment of 1.25 trillion rupees. As large ships become increasingly more vital to Europe and China trade, India can embed itself on that route, given its strategic location between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Malacca. Karan Adani said the port company is already in talks with two to three anchor shipping lines that would consider shifting their bases to Vizhinjam.

“The size of vessels are increasing in the international trade route,” he said. In the next decade, the average size of ships will be around 12,000-15,000 TEUs compared with 6,000-8,000 TEUs now, he said, adding Vizhinjam can handle ships of as much as 20,000 TEUs. India’s current container traffic is less than 10% of China’s but if the Vizhinjam port is able to lure more ships, it’ll give India — and Adani Ports — a stronger footing in global maritime trade.

Foundation stone laid for Fintech City, Fintech Tower in Tamil Nadu

Source: Financial Express, 18 June 2023

In a bid to grab bigger play in the fintech space, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Saturday laid the foundation stone for its flagship Fintech City and Fintech Tower projects in Chennai.

“The rapidly growing IT, IT-enabled services, electronics, innovation, and electronics industries in Tamil Nadu have also witnessed excellent growth. I am confident that the financial technology sector, which integrates traditionally functioning banking and non-banking financial services with emerging modern technology, will also see tremendous growth in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said in his address.

The Fintech City being set up on 56 acres of land has an investment potential of Rs12,000 crore and proposed job creation for nearly 80,000 persons.

It will have the infrastructure to house international and national BFSI institutions. Besides, it will also have commercial, residential, and social elements with multimodal connectivity.

The Fintech Tower being set up at a cost of Rs254 crore has an investment potential of Rs1,000 crore and jobs for nearly 7,000 persons. It will have a built-up area of 5.6 lakh sq ft with an auditorium to accommodate 250 persons.

Tamil Nadu is a front-runner in the financial services space and is now all set to transform into a global FinTech hub.

The state is home to 250 of the world’s top 500 financial institutions and over 100 FinTech startups.

World Bank, Bank of America, Citi, and Dun & Bradstreet are some of the global BFSIs that chose to set up in Tamil Nadu.

Chief minister MK Stalin had released FinTech Policy 2021 to transform the state into a leading global destination for fintech firms by 2025.

Govt plans to develop Jawaharlal Nehru Port as smart port within a year: Sonowal

Source: Economic Times, 25 May 2023

The government plans to develop the country’s premier container port Jawaharlal Nehru Port as a fully smart port within one year, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday. Speaking at the 34th anniversary and annual award distribution ceremony of the JNPA, the Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways said the government wants the facility to compete with the best ports in the world.

“The government will develop JNPA into a fully smart port within one year. We want it to be a fully electronically connected system for better services,” the minister said.

Sonowal said that plans are to develop all (major) ports in the country into smart ports going forward.

“This is to match these facilities with the best ports globally,” he added.

The minister said that as part of the government’s objective of green ports, JNPA will be placing orders in the next three months for setting up of two green parks at its facility.

“We will be developing green parks at all airports in the country,” Sonowal said.

He also said that Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has seen 29 industrial units coming up in its SEZ (Special Economic Zone) under the Sagarmala Project.

The SEZ project at JNPA is part of the port-led industrialisation plan, developed on 277.38 hectares of freehold land by the JN Port, incorporating the land use plan of the port.

An initiative under the Sagarmala national flagship policy of the shipping ministry, the SEZ is aimed at boosting exports, generating employment, investment and captive cargo by enabling port-led industrialisation.

The facility has been operational since July 2021.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority posted record growth in container traffic at 6.05 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in FY23, a growth of 6.4 per cent year-on-year.

The total container traffic at the port in the fiscal ended March 2022, was recorded at 5.68 million TEUs.

Indian Government allots huge Budget for Railways

Source: Ministry of Railways, 1st February, 2023

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union budget 2022-23 to the parliament today. Budget has proposed record budgetary allocation of 29354 million USD (INR 2.4 Lakh Crore) 71% higher than previous budget of 17123 million USD (INR 1.4 Lakh Crore). These funds will be utilized in developing new tracks, coaches, trains, signaling and electrification, safety improvements and development to stations infrastructure.

From 2018 Railways budget is merged with Union Budget. Railways sector has witnessed unprecedented growth during last eight years.

    Source: Economic Survey 2022-23

Description	Average during 2009-14	Average during 2014-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23 (BE)
	(₹ crore)
NL, GC & Doubling	10,623	40,389	52,446	43,597	66,690	78,576
Rolling stock	16,029	20,878	37,339	32,627	41,406	39,853
Railway Electrification	884	3,258	7,145	6,148	6,961	7,700
Track renewals	4,958	7,186	9,391	13,523	14,082	13,335
ROB/RUB	916	3,178	3,522	4,139	4,222	8,750
Bridge Works	351	488	782	772	1,297	940
Other Plan Heads	12,219	23,801	37,440	54,375	55,609	96,646
Total Capex	45,980	99,178	1,48,064	1,55,181	1,90,267	2,45,800
Source: Ministry of Railways
Note: NL: New lines, GC: Gauge Conversion

The fast pace of infrastructure augmentation by Railways has been a result of substantial increase in allocation of funds and various steps being taken by the government. This includes delegation of powers at the field level which has helped in commissioning of doubling projects, close monitoring of the progress of projects at various levels, regular follow-up with State Governments and relevant authorities for expeditious land acquisition, forestry and wildlife clearances and resolving other issues pertaining to the projects.

Surely this will boost investment from industry in the development of sector as this is going to offer huge opportunities to all the players.

Indian Railways : OPPORTUNITIES

Source:  Indolink linkedin post, 25 January 2023

As slogan of Indian Railways ” Lifeline of Nation” perfectly articulates, Indian Railways sector is vital component of country’s economy. It provides transportation for millions of people and goods on daily basis. The sector is undergoing modernization with focus on reducing cost, increasing efficiencies and improving passenger experience. Railways ministry has announced plans to invest heavily in the sector with objective of upgrading existing and building new infrastructure. with recent introduction of trains like “Vande Bharat Express” India is demonstrating its strengths under ambitious “Make in India” campaign.

These developments present multiple opportunities for investors and companies looking to capitalize on growth of Indian market. India is projected to account for 40% of the total Global share of rail activity by 2050

Ongoing growth of Indian Railways sector necessitates continuous Investments in areas such as track expansion, track upgradation, electrification, improvements in safety provisions, efficient operations and improvised passenger experience. In view of these needs, Indian railways has set capital expenditure push of approximately 325,000 million USD, 14% higher than previous financial year.
This opens up opportunities in several areas/projects such as:
Ø Building of railway tracks, wagons, trains, electrification, signaling.
Ø Operation and maintenance of trains and Railway lines.
Ø Development of high speed Rail corridors
Ø Railway digitization and automation, including the development of smart Railway systems, Data Analytics and artificial intelligence
Ø New products and logistics services for small farmers
Ø Integration of postal and Railways networks for movement of parcels.
Ø 15000 kms are being converted into automatic signaling.
Ø 37000 kms being fitted with “Kavach” domestically developed train collision avoidance system.
Ø Redevelopment of Railways stations through PPP model.
Ø Development of goods – sheds at small stations.

Railway awarded contract worth ₹12,461 crore for redevelopment of 32 Stations in 2022

Source:  urbantransportnews.com, 09 January 2023

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): The Government of India had
launched Railway Station Redevelopment Program to redevelop 400 railway
station across India at Rs 1 lakh crore through the Public Private
Partnership (PPP) mode.

The program focused on improving passenger amenities by leveraging real
estate available with railways to fund the development. So far, contract
worth Rs ₹12,461 crore have been awarded to various agencies for
redevelopment of 32 railways stations across the country on PPP mode.
Here is a list of railway stations for which redevelopment contract have
been awarded by the Indian Railways in 2022:-

 1. Chandigarh Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 462.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Chandigarh Railway Station under Northern Railways zone of Indian
Railways on November 16, 2022.

 2. Gandhinagar (Jaipur) Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 178.00
crore has been awarded to M/s Brahmaputra Infrastructure Limited. JCC
for redevelopment of Gandhinagar Jaipur Railway Station under North
Western Railways zone of Indian Railways on August 21, 2022

 3. Udhna Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 212 crore has been awarded
to M/s Bridge & Roof Co. (India) Ltd for redevelopment of Udhna Railway
Station under Western Railways zone of Indian Railways on July 20, 2022

 4. Emakulam Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 300.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd. for redevelopment of
Emakulam Railway Station under Southern Railways zone of Indian Railways
on December 14, 2022.

 5. Chennai Egmore Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 734.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s DEC Infrastructure and Projects for redevelopment of
Chennai Egmore Railway Station under southern Railways zone of Indian
Railways on October 17, 2022.

 6. Kanniyakumari Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 50.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s Engineering Projects (India) Ltd. for redevelopment
of Kanniyakumari Railway Station under Southern Railways zone of Indian
Railways on November 23, 2022.

 7. Nagpur Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 487.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Girdhari Lal Constructions Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Nagpur Railway Station under Central Railways zone of Indian Railways on
October 17, 2022.

 8. Secunderabad Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 699.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s Girdhari Lal Constructions Pvt Ltd for redevelopment
of Secunderabad Railway Station under South Central Railways zone of
Indian Railways on October 27, 2022.

 9. Yesvantpur Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 380.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Girdhari Lal Constructions Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Yesvantpur Railway Station, Bengaluru under South Western Railways zone
of Indian Railways on October 18, 2022.

 10. Surat Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 878.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Girdhari Lal Constructions Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Surat Railway Station under Western Railways zone of Indian Railways on
October 19, 2022.

 11. Jaipur Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 177.45 crore has been
awarded to Girdhari Lal Constructions Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Jaipur Railway Station under North Western Railways zone of Indian
Railways on October 12, 2022.

 12. Gaya Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 249.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Kamladityya Construction for redevelopment of Gaya
Railway Station under East Central Railways zone of Indian Railways on
December 16, 2022.

 13. Bijwasan Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 271.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Kamladityya Construction Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Bijwasan Railway Station under Northern Railways zone of Indian Railways
on April 15, 2022.

 14. Ajni (Nagpur) Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 298.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s Keystone Infrastructure Globe Civil Services JV for
redevelopment of Ajni (Nagpur) Railway Station under Central Railways
zone of Indian Railways on November 21, 2002.

 15. Gwalior Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 462.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s KPC Projects Limited for redevelopment of Gwalior Railway
Station under North Central Railways zone of Indian Railways on November
14, 2022.

 16. Ayodhya Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 1,800.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s N.S. Associates Pvt. Ltd for redevelopment of Ayodhya
Railway Station under Northan Railways zone of Indian Railways.

 17. Gomtinagar Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 360.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s NBCC- BL Kashyap & Sons (JV) for redevelopment of
Gomtinagar Railway Station under North Easter Railways zone of Indian
Railways on June 1, 2021.

 18. Delhi Contonment Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 310.00 crore
has been awarded to M/s Ram Kripal Singh Construction Pvt Ltd for
redevelopment of Delhi Contonment. Railway Station under Northern
Railways zone of Indian Railways on December 16, 2022.

 19. New Jalpaiguri Railway Station:  Contract worth Rs 335.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s Ram Kripal Singh Construction Pvt Ltd for
redevelopment of New JalpaiguriRailway Station under NFR Railways zone
of Indian Railways on December 1, 2022.

 20. Muzaffarpur Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 426.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s Ram Kripal Singh Construction Pvt Ltd for
redevelopment of Muzaffarpur Railways Station under East Central
Railways zone of Indian Railways on July 29, 2022

 21. Ernakulam Town Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 299.95 crore
has been awarded to M/s Rank Project & Development Pvt. Ltd for
redevelopment of Ernakulam Town Railways Station under Southern Railways
zone of Indian Railways.

 22. Kollam Town Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 361.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s RITES- Sidharatha Civil Works JV for redevelopment
of Kollam Town Railways Station under Southern Railways zone of Indian
Railways on December 16, 2022.

 23. Charbagh Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 399.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s RPP Infra Projects Ltd. P&C Projects (JV) for
redevelopment of Charbagh Railways Station, Lucknow under Northern
Railways zone of Indian Railways on August 13, 2022.

 24. Nellore Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 102.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s SCL Infratech Ltd for redevelopment of Nellore Railways
Station under South Central Railways zone of Indian Railways on December
8, 2022.

 25. Puducherry Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 103.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s Shalimar Corp Limited for redevelopment of
Puducherry Railways Station under Southern Railways zone of Indian Railways.

 26. Jaisalmer Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 148.00 crore has
been awarded to M/s SKT-SGCCL JV for redevelopment of Jaisalmer Railways
Station under North Western Railways zone of Indian Railways on
September 18, 2002.

 27. Kota Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 203.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Universal Contractors & Engineers Pvt Ltd for
redevelopment of Kota Railways Station under West Central Railways zone
of Indian Railways on August 5, 2022.

 28. Tirupati Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 300.00 crore has been
awarded to M/s Varindera Construction Pvt Ltd for redevelopment of
Tirupati Railways Station under South Central Railways zone of Indian
Railways on May 30, 2022.

 29. Bangalore Cantonment Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 525.00
crore has been awarded to M/s Varindera Construction Pvt Ltd for
redevelopment of Bangalore Cantonment Railways Station under South
Western Railways zone of Indian Railways on December 12, 2022.

 30. Vishakhapatnam Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 339.00 Crore
has been awarded to M/s Braithwaite – Cognition Projects JV for
redevelopment of Vishakhapatnam Railways Station under East Coast
Railways zone of Indian Railways on September 14, 2002.

 31. Somnath Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 138.00 Crore has been
awarded to M/s Katira Construction Ltd. for redevelopment of Somnath
Railways Station under Western Railways zone of Indian Railways on July
1, 2022.

 32. Jodhpur Railways Station:  Contract worth Rs 475.00 Crore has been
awarded to a consortium comprising of M/s Vishal Infrastructure Ltd.,
M/s OJSC Euro and M/s Asian Construction Corporation Evrascon for
redevelopment of Jodhpur Railways Station under North Western Railways
zone of Indian Railways on September 29, 2022.

Indian Railways kickstarts a mega infra project to promote MSMEs

Source: Financial Express, 27 December 2022

Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: Indian Railways with the aim to promote MSME markets has undertaken a massive infrastructure project, Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) as per the information given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, ANI reported.

The DFC project comprises Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC – from Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust – 1506 Km) and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC – from Ludhiana to Sonnagar -1337 Km) with a total cover span of 2,843 km route.

Out of the total route, almost 1,610 km (799 Km of EDFC and 811 Km of WDFC) was completed till October, 2022.

Similarly, a pilot project for ‘Joint Parcel Product’ (JPP) was launched on March 31, 2022 by Indian Railways in collaboration with India Post with the objective to target business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) markets focusing on e-Commerce and MSME markets.

Under the project, first-mile and last-mile connectivity will be provided by the Department of Posts, and the intermediate connectivity from station to station shall be catered through Railways as per the statement released by the Ministry of Railways in April this year.

For the pilot run of this project, a Parcel Van was attached in Tapti Ganga Express (19045/46) between Surat and Varanasi.

Earlier in January this year, Indian Railways reduced its application fee from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 10,000 for MSMEs who are applying to be vendors with the Railways’ Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO).

Also Read: Over 80% of Stand-Up India loans sanctioned to women entrepreneurs: Govt data

Meanwhile, to provide logistics services in the remotest areas of the country, India’s postal system has integrated with the government’s e-commerce portal Government e-Marketplace (GeM). The integration will help last-mile (rural/village-level) government buyers, service providers, and sellers particularly women and tribal entrepreneurs, self-help groups, artisans and weavers in the public procurement process, FEAspire reported.