DFCCIL floats tender for Ro-Ro on western corridor
The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) has floated a tender inviting private players for the "roll-on, roll-off" (Ro-Ro) service on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) between Rewari in Haryana and Palanpur in Gujarat, which would potentially get nearly 2,500 trucks off the roads in the region.
The request for proposal (RFP) issued by the DFCCIL states that the winning bidder will have the sole right to ferry fully loaded trucks on trains on the 714 km long stretch for one year. It will involve as many as 900 trips, each with 45 loaded trucks, on the new WDFC stretch, which will be operational in the month of March.
According to the RFP, two rakes, each comprising 45 BRN wagons, customised or modified and made suitable by the Indian Railways for truck loading and unloading on/from each of the wagons as Ro-Ro service.
The DFCCIL would provide facilities such as entry and exit ramps, connectivity from the concerned traffic yard to a motorable road, and lighting in the concerned traffic yard.
The contract's base value is around Rs 81 crore, based on calculations that each trip would earn an estimated amount of Rs 9 lakh. The winning bids have to be over this amount.
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The Ro-Ro service aims to minimise carbon emission, and congestion as nearly 66,000 diesel trucks pass through the national capital and its adjoining areas daily on the way to Rajasthan, UP, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Approximately 20,000 trucks not servicing the National Capital Region (NCR) enter the region to travel further.
According to officials, for truckers, this system will create a win-win situation as goods will be transported safely and faster, saving the cost on diesel and man-hours, other than reducing pollution levels. As per estimation, around 2,500-3,000 trucks ply between Palanpur and Rewari on a regular basis.
Trucks from Rewari carry goods to the ports and connected cities of Gujarat including Kandla, Kutch Mundra, Gandhidham, Mehsana, Palanpur, Vadodara, Surat, and Ahmedabad. The trucks from Palanpur move towards the National Capital Region (NCR) and north Indian cities like Chandigarh, Agra, Dehradun, Ghaziabad, Rewari, Hisar, Ludhiana, and Haridwar.
Officials told the media said that the time taken by road is around 24 hours to 36 hours, and the cost to the customer is about Rs 20,185 per truck for approximately a distance of 714 km. This also leads to congestion and high carbon emission. Using the WDFC, trucks with a speed of 75 km per hour would cover a similar distance of 636 km in 10 hours. The RFP issued by the DFCCIL will be opened on March 18.
For tender details click here.
Image: Recently, the Railways have registered record freight-loading. The Ro-Ro on the DFC will offer better efficiency in loading and unloading freight.
Also read: Top firms bid for DFC freight terminals
Also read: Railways registers highest-ever freight loading data
