Sical-led consortium to build rail terminal for Nagpur Hub Airport

New Delhi, May 9 (UNI) The Sical Logistics Ltd-led consortium has been selected by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) to set up a rail terminal as part of the proposed multi-modal International Hub Airport at Nagpur.

The letter of intent was issued by MADC to this effect recently.

The other member of the consortium is the Nagpur-based Gupta Coal India Ltd.

The rail terminal will be developed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, on a 24-hectare plot, on lease for 66 years. It will have the capacity to handle 150,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) a year.

The facilities, consisting mainly of a container freight station with rail siding and handling infrastructure for export-import of bulk and containerised cargo, are proposed to be built in phases in line with the client's requirements and Sical's own container train needs.

The terminal is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2008-09. A special purpose vehicle is proposed to be formed with Sical Logistics -- formerly South India Corporation Ltd -- owning at least 51 per cent equity stake and MADC owning 26 per cent stake, the owner of the remaining stakes being Gupta Coal.

The 150,000 TEU-a-year-capacity rail terminal will provide container stuffing and de-stuffing, cargo handling facilities, transportation, railway movement and container freight station for exim trade.

Sical Logistics Vice Chairman Ashwin Muthiah, in a statement, said the Nagpur rail terminal was central to Sical's plan for leadership in multi-modal logistics.

''Nagpur's central location has always made it a critical part of the strategy of every Indian logistics provider. The Airport Hub project and related infrastructure such as the rail terminal will add several dimensions of commerce not just to Nagpur and its surroundings; it will also help significantly in streamlining the logistics chains of businesses across India," Mr Muthiah said.

Sical Logistics Ltd is one of the country's leading providers of integrated multi-modal logistics for bulk and containerized cargo-port terminals, port handling, trucking and warehousing, ship agency, container freight stations, customs agency and offshore supply logistics.

Sical's delivery network includes an exclusive walk-in berth at Chennai for ships carrying bulk cargo; 104 warehouses, a fleet of over 2400 transport vehicles, and container freight stations at four locations across the country.

The company's consolidated revenue in the fiscal 2004-05 was Rs 12.48 billion on an equity base of Rs 275.33 million.

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