ICC’s 3rd Rail India Forum Charts
Integrated Roadmap for Greener, Cost-Efficient National Logistics. Pictures
by Bibhash Lodh/BS News Agency.
Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency,Kolkata, 5th December, 2025: The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organised the 3rd Rail India Forum in Kolkata, bringing together senior leadership from Indian Railways, major ports, and national project agencies to present a unified vision for transforming India’s rail, port, and metro-led logistics ecosystem. Key speakers included Mr. Milind Deouskar, general Manager, Eastern Railways; Mr. Rathendra Raman, IRTS, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata; Mr. Vipin Kumar, Chief Project Manager, RVNL and Mr. Vikash Lohia, Chairman, ICC National Expert Committee- Railway & Deputy Managing Director, Jupiter Wagons Ltd. The forum highlighted priorities such as lowering logistics costs, enhancing freight efficiency, accelerating green energy adoption, and expanding mass rapid transit systems, signalling a decisive phase for India’s integrated, technology-driven, and multimodal transport ecosystem to achieve 2030, 2040, and Viksit Bharat 2047 goals. Mr. Milind Deouskar, General Manager, Eastern Railways, said greening railways must begin with a national, citizen-first approach rather than operational tweaks alone. “Before deciding how to transport, we must examine what truly needs transporting,” he noted, citing India’s 200 million tonnes of annual iron ore movement through challenging terrain like the 400-km KK line. He suggested reducing coal transport by locating power plants at pitheads and exploring technologies such as coal gasification. Mr. Deouskar emphasised strategic cost reduction, noting logistics costs have fallen from 13–14% of GDP to around 8%, with potential for another 2–3% reduction. He highlighted rail’s efficiency: a mail or express train consumes 20 units of electricity per kilometre, costing roughly ₹100 per kilometre to carry 2,000 passengers. Rail freight remains competitive for 500–600 km leads in a country spanning 3,000 km north–south and 3,000–3,500 km east–west. Freight patterns are shifting; although foodgrain movement has declined, railways still carry 1,500–1,700 million tonnes annually and aim to increase this volume.With 98–99% electrification achieved, he said the focus must shift to reliability, addressing OHE failures, power interruptions, and developing lighter, smarter 2×25 kV systems. He urged the industry to adopt robust rolling stock—MEMUs, EMUs, and multi-unit locomotives—and avoid short-lived, vendor-dependent technologies. On energy transition, he noted India’s electricity remains largely thermal. “Solar power is promising, but storage costs ₹6–7 crore per MW,” he explained. A practical approach is generating solar on railway land, including water bodies and tracks, feeding traction substations directly. He also highlighted emerging green power sources, such as small modular nuclear reactors.Mr. Deouskar added that greening railways requires an integrated approach across freight strategy, energy systems, technology choices, and infrastructure, with a focus on locomotive reliability, diesel reduction, and metro-grade technologies.nMr. Rathendra Raman, IRTS Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, stressed the synergy between ports and railways for national logistics transformation. “Kolkata and Haldia have nearly 20 km of track at Kolkata and 125 km at Haldia—supporting trade for 145 years,” he noted. He emphasised shifting freight from road to rail and inland waterways for greener logistics, projecting 25% of energy from solar by March 2026 and 50% by 2030.
Port greening initiatives include electric mobile harbour cranes, EV charging stations for diesel tractor-trailers, shore power for berthed vessels, and maintaining 40% green cover. Operational upgrades include reducing Haldia’s rake-loadin…