Southern Railway Launches Cargo Service

31 Jan 2025 CW Team

The Chennai division of Southern Railway inaugurated a dedicated Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET), operating between the Royapuram and Patel Nagar (in Delhi) railway stations.

Chennai Divisional Railway Manager Vishwanath Eerya flagged off the service, which aims to enhance rail-based logistics by offering a faster and more reliable transportation mode for parcel cargo.

The contract for operating the cargo express has been awarded to the Rail Transport Corporation of India for a six-year period. The train will initially run two round trips per month, as per an official statement. However, the leaseholder has proposed to operate two round trips per week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, generating an estimated revenue of Rs 2.08 billion over six years.

The cargo express will transport a variety of goods, including auto parts, leather, handloom products, tyres and courier shipments. During the initial six months, its carrying capacity will be 353 tonnes per trip, which will later be increased to 468 tonnes.

According to an official statement, the cargo express will cover 2,195km, linking the southern and northern regions of the country. This initiative is expected to strengthen trade and commerce between the regions.

The Parcel Cargo Express Train will transport a variety of goods, including auto parts, leather, handloom products, tyres and courier shipments. During the initial six months, its carrying capacity will be 353 tonnes per trip, which will later be increased to 468 tonnes.

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..