Source-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/railways-eyes-door-to-door-delivery/articleshow/89580867.cms
Publisher- TOI
NEW DELHI: Wondering how to get a sack of your favourite rice from Bihar or a saree from Gujarat? Indian Railways may soon have a solution for you.
Seeking to tap the “nonconventional” freight traffic, the state-owned transporter is conducting test runs of a door-to-door delivery service for individual and bulk customers. Much like courier companies or e-commerce players, the plan is to have an app and give customers receipts with a QR code which will help them track their consignments. The app or the website will show the estimated charge and the time needed to deliver a consignment.
While the railways will be the transporter, it is looking to rope in India Post and other players to improve delivery and tap the rapidly-growing logistics business, where it has lost ground to the private sector, including new entrants that have expanded rapidly.
The Railways has tasked some of its zones to develop a module and has also roped in the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation, which is all set to roll out the first such service in the DelhiNCR and the Sanand Sector in Gujarat by June-July. DFCC has also launched in-house trials of the service. Another pilot is planned in Mumbai.
“We are targeting white goods, small items as well as aggregators who can avail of the service,” a DFCC official said. Customers will be given the option to either drop the packet at dedicated points or have it picked up from their homes or offices.
Officials said the idea is to provide the service at competitive rates, which may be lower than what it will cost to move the consignments by road.
“The customers will also have the option of whether they want the packaging to be done by us. This service will be based on a transit assurance scheme,” the DFCC official added. Recently, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had told TOI that they are confident of crossing the freight loading cargo in 2022-23, which has been estimated at 1,475 million tonnes.
