Online booking to be mandatory for goods transport via rail

29 Sep 2022 CW Team

In line with its attempts to digitise its records, the Railway Ministry has made online registration mandatory for transportation of goods on Indian Railways. The new guidelines will come into effect from November 1.

According to a notification issued by the ministry this week, the move has been undertaken “with the objective to achieve digitalisation, minimising detention to rolling stock and streamlining transactions in freight business”.

The new guidelines will apply to all indents placed with zonal railways, with the exception of military traffic, goods transported during natural disasters, and events identified as force majeure by authorities.

The new policy will replace the current practice of approaching goods clerks to register demand for wagons, and necessary changes in the digital infrastructure will be undertaken by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and Freight Operations Information Systems (FOIS).

“Necessary modifications shall be introduced into the system by CRIS/FOIS to enable e-RD (registration of demand) as default option for registration of demand for wagons,” the notification said.

An official said that loading of rakes in high-demand areas gets delayed due to the need for physical registration and verification at the time of booking and loading. These processes, once brought online, can contribute to the national transporters’ attempts to decrease wagon turnaround time. Under the 'Hungry for Cargo' mission, Indian Railways is targeting 2,000 million tonnes of goods by 2024.

Infrastructure Urban

10 Mar 2026

ABB to Invest Rs 6.25 Billion to Expand India Manufacturing

ABB recently announced plans to invest approximately Rs 6.25 billion ($75 million) in India during 2026 to expand its manufacturing footprint and research and development capabilities. The investment follows more than $35 million spent in 2025 and reflects the company’s continued focus on strengthening its ‘local-for-local’ strategy in the country.The investment will support ABB’s Electrification, Motion and Automation businesses and expand manufacturing capacity for infrastructure sectors such as renewable energy, metro rail, data centres and industrial applications. Approximately 300..

Six WOLFF Cranes Handle 60,000 m³ Concrete for German Hospital

Six WOLFF tower cranes are playing a key role in constructing a new hospital complex in Memmingen, Germany, supporting large-scale material handling for the project. The facility is being built on a 7.7-hectare site and will feature six floors, around 480 beds and a gross floor area exceeding 75,000 sq m.Building shell works began recently in February 2025. One WOLFF 6531.12 Cross crane supported early site preparation before being dismantled in autumn 2025, while five remaining cranes continue operations. Over an average deployment period of 16 months, the cranes are expected to move approxim..

REC Funds Rs 115.6 Million CSR Support for Bihar Eye Hospital

REC recently committed Rs 115.6 million under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme for the procurement of clinical and non-clinical equipment at Sankara Eye Hospital in Saharsa, Bihar. The initiative aims to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and improve access to specialised eye care services in the region.A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was recently signed between Pradeep Fellows, Executive Director (CSR), REC Limited, and Wg Cdr V. Shankar (Retd), Trustee and Executive Director of Sankara Eye Hospital, at the REC office in the SCOPE Complex, New Delhi.The support is expecte..