Rahul Sahai seeks daytime freight rakes, 24-hour unloading window and demurrage waiver
Rahul Sahai, Chairman, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Jammu Chapter, participated in the Business Development Unit (BDU) Interaction Meeting organized by Northern Railway, Jammu Division at the Divisional Railway Office, Jammu Tawi.
Jammu, 25-05-2026: ICC Suggests Daytime scheduling of freight Rakes,Increase in Rakes unloading time to 24 hrs , waiver of demurrage charges,Devlopement of goods sheds in Industrial areas,Early operationalisation of ICD Samba.
The meeting was chaired by Sh. Vivek Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railway, Jammu Division. Other dignitaries present on the dais included Sh. Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, and Sh. Arish Bansal, Senior Divisional Operations Manager.
During the interaction, Rahul Sahai submitted a detailed representation on behalf of ICC Jammu highlighting several important issues concerning freight movement, logistics infrastructure, and ease of doing business in Jammu & Kashmir. He emphasized that efficient rail connectivity and improved freight infrastructure are crucial for the economic growth of the region, particularly for industries, MSMEs, traders, and agriculture-based sectors.
Rahul Sahai urged Northern Railway to strengthen freight terminals, warehousing facilities, container handling systems, and loading/unloading infrastructure in Jammu and adjoining industrial areas. He specifically requested that rake arrival timings should preferably be during daytime due to labour availability constraints and appealed for enhancement of rake unloading time from 7 hours to 24 hours. He also requested waiver of demurrage charges in cases where unloading is delayed due to operational challenges.
He further stressed the need for development of goods sheds at Bari Brahmana, Samba, and Jammu and called for early operationalization of the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Samba. He also highlighted the importance of better wagon availability, multi-modal logistics facilities, rational freight charges, digitalization of railway freight systems, improved last-mile connectivity, and train stoppage at Anantnag station to support MSMEs and local businesses.
During the meeting, Northern Railway officials gave a detailed presentation on various freight and logistics services being offered by Indian Railways, including Roll-On Roll-Off (RO-RO) services, parcel transshipment facilities, specialized freight wagons, reefer containers, automobile carriers, tank wagons, and parcel cargo services. The presentation highlighted the benefits of RO-RO services such as reduced transportation cost, lower fuel consumption, reduced road congestion, enhanced safety, environmental sustainability, timely delivery, and reduced wear and tear of vehicles. Railway officials also emphasized the importance of multi-modal logistics integration and informed participants about specialized wagons available for carrying bagged material, steel, iron, liquid cargo, food grains, automobiles, and industrial goods.
The interaction witnessed participation from freight customers, consignors, consignees, logistics operators, and representatives from trade and industry. Among those present were Sh. Ashish Jain and Sh. Raj Dua from ICC Jammu, Sh. Rakesh from CONCOR, besides representatives from IOCL, BPCL, Adani Cements, and other leading industrial and logistics organizations.
Rahul Sahai appreciated Northern Railway for organizing the stakeholder interaction and expressed confidence that regular dialogue between Railways and industry stakeholders would significantly strengthen trade, logistics, and industrial growth in Jammu & Kashmir. He also appreciated the efforts of Indian Railways in promoting greener and cost-effective logistics solutions through rail-based freight movement and assured full cooperation from ICC Jammu Chapter in all initiatives aimed at improving freight and logistics infrastructure in the region.
