Parcel Cargo Express Train starts operation, connecting Northeast to West Coast

May 21, 2018: The Northeast Frontier Railway has started operating one lease Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET) on fortnightly basis, connecting Northeastern part of the country to the West Coast. The route of this Parcel Cargo Express Train lease is: New Guwahati in Assam to Kalyan in Maharashtra with stoppages at New Jalpaiguri, Kalumna Goods Shed. This move would enable farmers to market their products like tea, betal nuts, pineapple, jute, horticulture products, cane furniture etc. at the retail markets in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Pune etc. This initiative is likely to promote industries of the region particularly.

Parcel Cargo Express Train has emerged as a business tool and this has been done without any additional strain on the resources of the railways. These leased PCETs will also generate substantial revenue to the Indian Railways in their contractual periods of 6 years each. The unit transportation cost through PCET will be relatively less than the cost of road transportation. So, the transporters as well as ultimate consumers will be benefited on account of less transportation cost. A single PCET can carry consignment equivalent to 52 trucks and thus can ensure less carbon emission.

Several other zonal railways have also taken initiatives to lease out Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCETs) on round trip.