DP World flags off new rail service from Kochi to Bangalore

January 29, 2020: DP World operated International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Cochin has flagged-off a new weekly rail service, operated by CONCOR between Cochin and the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Whitefield, Bangalore reducing both costs and transit time between the two cities by over 40 percent.

The new rail service was flagged off by the M. Beena, chairperson, Cochin Port Trust IAS and Sanjay Bajpai, executive director, Southern Region, CONCOR on January 22, 2020. The inaugural run had 100% rake utilization and transported 80 TEUs of cargo for Avana Logistek Ltd.
The rail service will allow customers to connect their cargo directly to Europe, Middle-East and Mediterranean services via ICTT Cochin instead of routing it through the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka. This will reduce the transit time by 5-6 days and thereby providing faster connections to global markets. It will further provide customers with multimodal freight options to transport their cargo, reducing dependency on road.

Praveen Thomas, CEO, DP World Cochin said, “We are pleased to announce the inauguration of new rail service from our terminal to Bangalore. The weekly rail service will help reduce cost and transit time for both domestic and EXIM cargo. With the proximity of six hours to the hinterland, fast turnaround, rail-connectivity to the busy cargo hub and increased connectivity with global markets, ICTT offers customers more options to move their cargo in a smarter, faster and efficient manner.”

ICTT offers direct services from Australia, Fareast, South East Asia and the Middle East to Cochin and from Cochin to Fareast, Middle East, Europe and Mediterranean. This includes, successful implementation of Bharat Trade for paperless transactions, RFID based automated gates reducing man vehicle interface, improved safety, reduction in transaction time and 24x7 customs to facilitate direct port entry. The ICTT Cochin was also ranked 1st in the Annual Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) among South Indian ports.