Widening the scope of container corporation Indian railway

Abstract

India's transport system is one of die largest in the world. It covers a land area of 3.3 Million sq.kms. and a population of 1 Billion. According to the Rakesh Mohan Committee Report on Infrastructure (1996), the economic losses on account of congestion and poor transport works out to Rs.120 toRs.300 Billion in a year. India has a road network of 3.3 Million kms. and a railway network of63,140 route kms. Only 3,000 kms. in India are 4-lane which is just one-fifth of China. The average speed of road vehicles and freight trains is around 30to 40 kms. per hour. This is only one-third of that of Developed Countries. In this paper, I have brought out the need to go in for multi-modal (Container) transport. The Kyoto Conference of 1997 highlighted the need for cutting down on the Green House Gas Emission. From the public policy perspective having a good transport network is necessary both from the social and economic angle. We need to go in for more fuel efficient transport which will also cut down our expenditure on fuel import Container Corporation is a part of Indian Railways and is into multimodal transport in a big way. They have the backing of Indian Railways. Unfortunately, of late, the freight earnings of both Indian Railways and CONCOR is on a declining trend. In this study, I have tried to highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for CONCOR. I have also given some suggestions as to how they can overcome their weaknesses. International studies have confirmed that Rail Transport is not only cheaper but also more fuel efficient and less polluting. Further, the number of train accidents are lesser than that of Road. The maintenance cost of railways is cheaper as compared to that of Road. By changing the present strategy, both CONCOR and Indian Railways can not only earn more revenue but also contribute to the development of the nation, as a whole.