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Rlys derailing
private box train operations
Spreads demoralisation with
red-tapism, frequent tariff changes & plethora of problems
Private container train
operators, numbering 16, are increasingly becoming a disenchanted lot. The
operators, who have paid enormous sums as licence fees to the Railways, are
finding it difficult to operate in an environment where several issues remain
unresolved.
These include lack of service
guarantees, erratic rating and pricing policy, non-maintenance of rolling
stocks, commodities not permitted in containers, and difficulties in acquiring
land for intermodal terminals.
Another troubling issue is the
lack of clarity on the use of terminals and private rail sidings to carry
domestic freight.
A spokesman of the operators
cited bureaucratic delays in approval of terminals by several departments which
take up to nine months.
They are also complaining that
the frequent tariff changes affected long-term contracts with customers,
particularly because haulage charges account for about three-quarters of their
total operating expenses.
The Railways’ rating structure
for the private operators has undergone a change from a uniform per TEU/km rate
for all weight slabs to a telescopic weight slab-based rating.
Also, charges have been
introduced for haulage of trains carrying empty containers. Some empty haulage
is unavoidable due to imbalance in trade flows, the spokesman pointed out.
He drew attention to the fact
that to transport empty containers, the Railways charges 65 per cent of the rate
for loaded containers and for empty wagons at 60 per cent.
The Railways also charges for
full composition of a train even if a private rake runs under-capacity load.
Another Rs 13,500 is charged for parking these
wagons and Rs 13,000 per day for the stabling of a train set.
Source : Exim News Service - New
Delhi, March 9
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