Indian Railways: Ease of Doing Business in Supply Chain

Welcome Reader and Entrepreneurs in the Blog Post of ‘Indian Railways: Ease of Doing Business in Supply Chain’ to explore Indian Railways Freight on Priority Policy and Ease of Doing Business on FBDP online portal. You can read this blog in various languages.

As we know for Railways, whose network reaches practically every corner of the nation, that is always backbone of the logistics industry in that country. Indian Railways is essential in order to support the nation's inclusive and equitable socioeconomic development. Because Indian Railways produce up to 80% less CO2 and use 75–90% less energy for freight traffic than road transportation. There for it is most environmentally friendly mode of land transportation available.

Indian Railways Freight on Priority Policy

The last few years have seen a downturn in the Indian railway freight industry for a number of reasons, including growing competition from road transportation, inefficiencies in the railway network, and shifting consumer demands. Indian Railways has put in place a number of measures to boost the freight business and make up ground in order to combat this fall. In order to increase freight traffic, Indian Railways implemented a "Freight on Priority Policy" that allows for a customer-centric strategy.

                              

Indian Railways Freight Business Development Portal

As a matter of fact, to reduce logistics costs and significantly increase the ease of doing business in India, Indian Railways created a Freight Business Development Portal centred on customer needs. The freight rail transportation process is made simpler by this Portal. The Portal was specifically created with the many needs of both new and current users in mind. Its main goals are to make doing business easier, increase transparency, and offer expert assistance. In other words, for all of a freight customer's needs, the Freight Business Development Portal (FBDP) is a one-stop shop.

Indian Railways Business Development Units (BDUs)

Indian Railways has established Business Development Units (BDUs) at the Railway Board, Zonal Railway, and Divisional levels as part of a series of measures to increase freight loading. BDU multidisciplinary teams have been contacting clients in an effort to win over new business by offering attractive, cost-effective logistics solutions.

Process to register as a service provider in Indian Railways offline

Particularly to register as a service provider in Indian Railways go to the nearest freight terminal in your area. The Chief Goods Supervisor or the goods clerk at the station can offer step-by-step instructions. Fill out a service request letter that has been properly signed, attach scanned copies of your offline ID card, PAN card, Aadhar card, and passport-sized photo, and submit the form. Verify your identity using your email address and registered mobile number.

Indian Railways Ease of Doing Business online

Nowadays every Service providers and freight forwarders can connect digitally with railways as customers via the Rail Sugam Mobile App, the FOIS Web Portal or the IR Freight Business Portal. Register either as an individual or corporate login.

Booking Process

Customers can use our e-Demand Service to register their demand for wagons online, whenever it's convenient for them. It is necessary for you to register with us first. As an alternative, you can deliver a forwarding note to the loading location via Indian Railways that includes information about the commodity, originating and destination points (railway locations), etc.

e-Registration of Demands

You can find loading and unloading points all of Indian Railways, including private siding, rail siding, state, district, zone, and division-specific goods sheds. Applications are available for services like stacking permission. As a rule, granting permission for advance stacking, consideration is given to the station or goods shed's traffic patterns, rake handling volume, available space, etc. A token payment known as the Wagon Registration Fee (WRF) is made at the time when an indent is placed. The WRF is currently Rs. 50,000 per rake. This amount may be adjusted in final Freight charges. Siding charges are imposed when a freight train is hauled between a railway serving station and its siding in order to load or unload cargo.

Various Tools

There are various tools to find loading/unloading terminal as well as CRT, PFT, with terminal lighting, operational timings, weighbridge, mechanical and manual handling, logistic aggregators, truck drivers, warehouses, and labour facility so on, you can find out.
Commodity

You can select from a wide range of commodities transported by railways, that’s are coal, minerals and ores, food grains, flour and pulses, cement and clinker, chemical manure, iron and steel, petroleum products, container services, automobiles, and more. There codes are available on this portal's "Commodity" page.

Wagon Selector Tools

There are 179 different types of unique wagons available to meet your freight transportation needs at Indian Railways. You can choose various container wagons from BLCS, 12', 42' feet containers, Gati Shakti (Cube) containers, longer containers, dwarf containers, and other types of containers to suit your needs.

Dwarf Containers

Nowadays single and double stacks trains are commonplace. A new delivery model called double stack dwarf container (DSDC) has been introduced to improve loadability and draw in more traffic under wire. Dwarf containers (with a height of 660 cm less than standard containers), are smaller than standard containers. A private container train operator departed first double stack dwarf container from Reliance Rail Terminal, Kanalus (PRTK) on July 8, 2018, and arrived at Kribhco Infrastructure Limited, Pali (KIIP) on July 9, 2018 in Indian Railways. The profitability of train operations will be further enhanced by triple-stack container trains.

Get Expected Freight Charges & Transit Time

Freight costs related to the options chosen and the anticipated transit durations. A preview of the relevant rebates and incentives is also offered by this portal. Use the cargo description, discount programs from - to, and wagon type to calculate freight.

Connect to First & Last Mile Service Providers

You can find out service providers at terminals i.e. aggregators, truckers, handling agents, warehouse service providers.

Track & Trace

You can track & trace the status of your cargo by entering your FNR Number.

Explore Rebate Schemes & Long Term Contracts

Consequently, you can look into long-term contracts that fit your needs and freight incentive programs. These could include long-term contracts and rebate programs, freight incentive programs and concessions, and concessions under different product transportation schemes.
Discount programs for Station to Station Rate Scheme (STS), Round Trip Traffic (RTT), Long Term Tariff Contract (LTTC), Freight Advance Scheme (FAS), and Merry Go Round Scheme (MGR) are available for application here.
You can explore here Investment Scheme for Liberalized Special Freight Train Operator (LSFTO), Automobile Freight Train Operator (AFTO), General Purpose Wagon Investment Scheme (GPWIS), and Wagon Leasing Scheme (WLS) by application here.

You can apply here for Offering Traffic like Freight Development Proposal-New Traffic & Application for Co-User Permission.

Indents Outstanding & Rake Allotments (RAS)

Here you can view the advance rake allotment plan for Iron Ore, the COAL rake allotment plan, the arrears in the supply of rakes for COAL traffic, and the most recent updated status of the pendency of indents over Indian Railways.

Apply here services such as stacking permission, diversion, re-booking, waiver of demurrage or wharfage charges, I-bond Delivery, Delivery short of destination etc.

Raise a Request & Track your Request for Diversion Application, Rebooking Application, Short Destination Delivery Application, Stacking Permission Application, Demurrage Waiver Application, Wharfage Waiver Application.

Support Services for your request is based on your request ID.

Other various services

Two-Point/Multi-Point (Permitted Combinations)

Indian Railways provides the option to use Two Point/Multi Point schemes to transport your cargo in a train to multiple destinations while taking advantage of Train Load freight rates.

Timetabled Services offer by Indian Railways

1. Concor Siding Khodiyar (CKYR)  to  Mundra Port Cargo Complex (MDCC)

Gurgaon (GGN)  to   Nidvanda (NDV)

2. Inland Container Depot at Chennai tondiarpet (ICDT) to Inland Container Depot at Okhla (ICOD)

3. ICDW Inland Container Depot served by SGWF to Inland Container Depot at Okhla (ICOD)

4. ICOD Inland Container Depot at Okhla to Inland Container Depot at Chennai tondiarpet (ICDT)

5. Inland Container Depot at Okhla (ICOD)  To   Inland Container Depot served by SGWF (ICDW

6. Kathuwas (KTWS)  To Mundra port (MDPT)

7. Nidvanda (NDV)  To Gurgaon (GGN)

8. Sanat nagar (SNF) To Jawahar Lal Nehru Port (JNPT)

9. Tuglakabad (TKD) To Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (DDU)

11. Tuglakabad (TKD) To Jawahar Lal Nehru port (JNPT)

12. Tuglakabad (TKD) To Mundra Port (MDPT)

Mini Rake Services

Mini Rake services can be used for any length of distance. The loading of coal, ore, and raw materials for steel plants is not serviceable.

Rate Slabs for Mini Rake Services

Following are the rate slab for mini rakes services:

Slab1 (Upto 1500 Kms)

Slab2 (1500 To 2000 Kms)

Supplementary Charge @ 7.5% (on difference of base freight of respective distance and base freight of 1500 km)

Slab3 (Beyond 2000 Kms)

Supplementary Charge @ 7.5% (on difference of base freight of 2000 km. and base freight of 1500 km)

Supplementary Charge @ 10% (on difference of freight of distance beyond 2000 km and base freight of 2000 kms)

Container Hub & Spoke Movement

In the FOIS systems of Indian Railways "Container Hub & Spoke Movement" module is now operational. With the help of this module, the user can more easily register demand for the "Container Hub & Spoke Movement. Now can load and unload at en-route hubs, calculate freight, and remove containers that are in transit. Container Hub & Spoke movement for the designated Customer, source Station, and destination station will a Container Hub-Spoke Demand be approved by the system only when has the Railway Board’s approval.

Electronic Railway Receipt or eT-RR

In order to provide a paperless transaction system, the Electronic Railway Receipt, or eT-RR, was introduced. Through FOIS, a customer can electronically generate and receive a Railway Receipt, and eT-RR can even be used to deliver goods.

Other Initiatives of Indian Railways

Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project

In order to create a system of safe and effective freight transportation, the project entails building six freight corridors across the nation. The remaining four corridors, which are still in their early stages, are South-South (Tamil Nadu-Goa), East-West (West Bengal-Maharashtra), East-South (West Bengal-Andhra Pradesh), and North-South (Delhi-Tamil Nadu).

Electrification

IR initiated 100 per cent electrification of its routes.

Cement Corridor of Indian Railways

The Indian Railways intends to build a cement corridor connecting the factories that produce fly ash, clinker, and cement, allowing for the smooth transportation of these goods. A road map connecting cement factories in the eastern, central, Rajasthan, and southern clusters is being drafted by the Railways and the Cement Manufacturing Association (CMA). The Kutch region of Gujarat is probably going to be the corridor's main focus.

Call to Action

For MSMEs in India, the largest sourcing sector is the Indian Railways. MSMEs can access a digital platform called the

Government eMarketplace of Indian Railways E-Procurement System.

No registration fees are required to become a vendor of Indian Railways (IREPS); there are no registrations fees associated with vendor registration at Indian Railways (IREPS). The Indian Railways (IREPS) offers a fully online vendor registration process. Review the list of documents needed in order to register as an Indian Railway vendor (IREPS).

Conclusion

Over 4000 freight terminals serve over 9000 freight customers. Finally, last but not least Indian Railways long-term vision for digital train operations aims to decrease railway congestion, improve punctuality, enhance safety, increase efficiency, and provide value-added services. India's railway industry is crucial to the country's growth and development. Keep Reading! Thank You!

@Team AriyaBiz