HT to begin Bangalore-Nhava Sheva rake service

Bangalore, Mar 19 (UNI) Hind Terminals (HT), a subsidiary of Samsara Group, will introduce a weekly container rail service between Bangalore and Nhava Sheva port from March 31.

Announcing the introduction of new container service, Samsara Group President Mukesh Oza, told reporters here last night that the service would give a fillip to the booming trade and commerce activity in the region. The service would be made twice a week by June this year, he added.

He said HT, the first private rail operator in the country to run its own wagons on Indian Railways rail network, had license to operate freight train service throughout the country. It was currently operating seven rakes and would have another seven rakes in service before April this year.

Mr Oza said HT had joined hands with Pearl Harbour Container Terminal (PHCT), which had taken over the Whitefield Container Freight Station from Central Waterhousing Corporation on a 15- year contract as their Strategic Alliance Parner.

HT would extend its services to other areas in the near future that included the business-friendly door-to-door services. ''This facility will be a huge advantage to customers to move cargo to multiple locations at a single time,'' he said.

Referring to the Bangalore-Nhava Sheva container service, Mr Oza said it was the first-ever train run on the sector. While HT owned the rolling stock, Indian Railways would provide logistics support for the new rake service, he said.

He said HT also planned to introduce container service from Bangalore to Tuticorin, Cochin and Chennai shortly.

The company had invested more than Rs 200 crore in its container rail service segment, he said.

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