Railways to set up logistics parks

Bracing to carry more freight and face competition from road and air carriers, Indian Railways will soon set up several integrated logistic parks on unused land across the country.

It will be developed along major stations across the country including one in the eastern sector through public private participation model.

"We have identified some areas in metro cities where such parks would come up along the railway stations. Our equity in the logistic park project would be land," said a senior railway ministry official.

He said the railway would offer the land to private sector for setting up facilities like warehouses, cold storages, banks, repair facilities for trucks, godwons, custom facilities and multi-modal transport system.

The basic criteria for such parks is that they should be near national highways and in metros. Because big cities are also major economic zones, these parks would cater to the growing demand of commercial activities in the cities, the official said.

Railways has a total 4.23 lakh hectares of surplus land out of which 42,846 hectares is vacant and located along rail tracks.

The role of railway will be that of a catalyst by facilitating the process of setting up the parks by giving land and ensuring other support like water and electricity.

Though the number of such parks to be set up has not been finalised yet, there are about 20 possible sites which can be considered for the project, the official said.