State-run Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) has launched double-stack container train services between the National Capital Region (NCR) and Varnama near Baroda. This initiative aims to facilitate customers at Nhava Sheva near Mumbai, home to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (J N Port).

On December 21, the first double-stack container train from Khatuwas and Dadri in NCR reached CONCOR’s Gati Shakti Multimodal Cargo Terminal (GCT) at Varnama, situated along the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The train carried export cargo destined for J N Port, according to a statement from the state-run firm.

The Varnama terminal will also support the conversion of import containers into double-stack trains for Northern India, ensuring quicker and more sustainable transportation via the WDFC.

The new double-stack container train operations between NCR and Varnama, approximately 400 km from J N Port, have been introduced months before the expected completion of a critical 102 km stretch of the WDFC from Vaitarana to J N Port in Maharashtra. This section is essential for the full-scale commissioning of the WDFC.

During a post-earnings conference call on August 9, CONCOR Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Swarup shared that the completion of the last-mile stretch is anticipated by March 2025, which he described as an optimistic timeline. To benefit customers in the interim, CONCOR has started running double-stack container trains from NCR to Varnama.

Swarup explained that this service would provide CONCOR’s customers at Nhava Sheva with faster transit times and competitive rates. He also expressed optimism that the new offering would encourage a shift of cargo from road to rail, thereby increasing the rail coefficient at J N Port.