Amazon India has achieved a milestone by becoming the first e-commerce company to operate on the inaugural Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) train on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). According to reports from Business Standard, the company flagged off the train at New Dadri Railway Station on Tuesday in collaboration with Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd, a railway ministry PSU. This expansion comes ahead of the festive season and strengthens Amazon's role within India's multimodal transportation network, building on a long-standing collaboration with Indian Railways that began in 2019.
The daily rail movement will connect Amazon's northern and western network with over 10 Van Parcels (VPs) operating on the route, as reported by Business Standard. The corridor will connect Amazon's network across key regions including Delhi, Ahmedabad and Surat, with onward connectivity to Pune, Mumbai and Goa. Amazon's rail network has grown significantly from a single train in 2019 to more than 140 trains operating across 130 intercity routes connecting over 100 destination cities. The expansion is designed to shift shipment movement from surface transportation to rail, further strengthening multimodality while enabling more reliable and sustainable transportation ahead of the peak festive season demand.
The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor spans approximately 1,504 kilometres from New Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) near Mumbai and is designed to decongest the existing rail network, increase average speed of freight trains, and enable heavy-haul train operations, according to Business Standard. The corridor connects ports and industrial areas for faster freight movement and reduces overall logistics costs. The DFC offers a greener, faster and more reliable mode of transportation, enabling cargo to travel overnight and reach its destination the next day. With the ability to move 350-400 tonnes within 24 hours, this service provides an economical and sustainable freight solution, particularly beneficial for the upcoming festive season when logistics demand typically peaks.
The JPP-RCS service is expected to generate approximately ₹21 lakh per round trip with regular operations, as reported by DFCCIL. With regular operations, the service has an estimated annual revenue potential of around ₹76 crore. The service combines the strengths of the Dedicated Freight Corridor with the Indian Railways JPP-RCS framework, providing an integrated logistics chain covering scheduled rail transportation and road-based first- and last-mile connectivity. Under JPP-RCS, freight charges will be calculated based on the carrying capacity of the Vehicle Parcel (VP) and levied according to the applicable JP Scale notified by the Railway Board, with the service also providing return-trip discounts to encourage better utilisation of parcel capacity.
Dr. Manoj Singh, Member (Operations and Business Development), Railway Board, launched the service in the presence of Mr. Praveen Kumar, Managing Director, DFCCIL, along with other senior officials including Mr. Deepak Jha, Adviser (Commercial), Railway Board and Mr. Shyam Sundar Gupta, Principal Executive Director (Infrastructure), Railway Board. The service is being patronised by Amazon and Harsh Logistics, along with other e-commerce and supply-chain partners, with indents placed through the Freight Business Development (FBD) portal. Kishore Lanka, Director-Operations, Amazon India, stated that by expanding use of dedicated freight infrastructure, Amazon is increasing multimodality across its transportation network and leveraging rail as an economical, reliable, and sustainable mode of transportation. The service is supported by a digital booking mechanism through the Virtual Aggregation Platform (VAP) of the Freight Business Development portal, allowing customers to book parcel space online up to 180 days in advance.
