APM Terminals Pipavav Launches Double Stack Rail Service

 

APM Terminals Pipavav (Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd) one of western India’s fastest growing gateway ports, has commenced a new weekly double stack rail service to the industrial center in Faridabad in north India’s Haryana State, near the Indian Capital City of New Delhi.
 
The dedicated double stack operations, which can efficiently carry two containers placed one on top of another in specially designed rail cars, will be operated in association with Gateway Rail and NYK India.   Known as "Sakura II", the service will operate between Pipavav Port and ICD-Faridabad (Piyala)/ICD-Garhi Harsaru, covering a distance of 1,015 km (630 miles) exclusively for Japanese NYK Shipping Line. The existing Sakura I dedicated double stack rail service, is operated by NYK exclusively for containers being imported by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.
 
The inaugural service was flagged off from Pipavav Port by Mr. Keld Pedersen, Managing Director of APM Terminals Pipavav, Mr. Yasuhiro Ishi, GM, NYK Line along with other senior officials of APM Terminals Pipavav and GatewayRail in November 2015.
 
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Keld Pedersen said, “We are very pleased with this partnership with NYK Line, and Gateway Rail, providing fast, consistent Just-In-Time cargo delivery, while reducing transportation costs, pollution and roadway congestion through dedicated double stack rail service”.
 
Double stack rail movements were pioneered in India by APM Terminals and the Indian Railway in 2006 with service from Pipavav to the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, terminating in Jaipur, one of India’s largest cities.
 
Pipavav Port is currently moving block trains between Garhi Harsaru and Pipavav and between Ludhiana and Pipavav.