Container train operators want cut in Concor charges

The association of all the 14 container train operators, which earlier this year had started running its own container trains on domestic as well as international container rail routes, has requested the railway ministry to lower the access fee charged for usage of container terminals.

As these operators do not own container terminals, they pay Container Corporation of India (Concor) an access fee of Rs 30,000 per rake one-way. The operators have requested lowering of this fee by at least 10-15 per cent.

In January this year, after signing the concession agreement with the railway ministry to participate in the container train business, the new players had entered into a MoU with Concor, for using its container terminals till the time they became self reliant. Currently, five companies namely Rajeev Chandrasekhar's Hindustan Transportation Infrastructure Ltd in association with NOL of Singapore, Boxtrans Logistics, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), Pipavav Rail Corporation Ltd (PRCL) and Hind Terminals, are running their own trains. The remaining nine are still relying on Concor's terminals for loading and unloading of their consignments.

Also they have to depend on the railway ministry's wagons to load their goods for which they have to pay the ministry around Rs 30,000 as usage charge for each wagon.

The players say that another logistical problem is that of non-availability of railway wagons at the time of loading and unloading, which leaves them with little time to load or unload goods. The players have requested the ministry to provide them with wagons well in advance.

The new players also have a grouse that the ministry asks them to make all the payments through demand draft, when it can be done through cheques. A spokesperson for the association said that while this delayed the payment, the actual amount to be paid to the ministry was also not clear most of the times. Ministry officials have agreed to look into these issues next week.

Gradually the players are trying to generate their own container depots and wagons, in accordance with the guidelines of the railway ministry, which says that in order to run container trains the players need to have their own rolling stock and infrastructure in place.

Sources say that it may take another year for all the 14 players to actually build up their own infrastructure.