This is the first time in the history of Indian Railways, that chocolates and noodles are being transported using AC bogies. South Western Railway, Hubli Division on Friday used inactive AC coaches for transportation of chocolates and other food products which require low and controlled temperature during transportation.
In fact, on October 8, chocolates and noodles weighing 163 tonnes were loaded in 18 air-conditioned coaches from Vasco da Gama in Goa to Okhla in Delhi. It was a consignment from AVG Logistics. According to the release issued by South Western Railway, this AC Parcel Express train will cover a distance of 2115 kms and is expected to reach Delhi on Saturday. That is, the train would have reached Delhi on Saturday.
The Railways has earned a revenue of about Rs 12.83 lakh from the transportation of chocolates by AC trains. With the marketing efforts of the Business Development Unit (BDU) of Hubli Division, this new stream of traffic has been caught by the Railways, which till now was traditionally transported by road.
Appreciating the efforts of BDU, Hubli Divisional Railway Manager Arvind Malkhede said that Railways is actively reaching out to the customers to use rail services which are fast, smooth and cost effective services. The initiative is being appreciated by industries and traders.
According to the statement, the monthly parcel earnings of Hubli Division is crossing Rs 1 crore mark since October 2020. The parcel earnings of Hubli Division during September 2021 is Rs 1.58 crore. The Division’s cumulative parcel earnings during the current financial year up to September 2021 is Rs 11.17 crore.
