Andhra Pradesh: Gati Shakti Rail Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal Commissioned At Krishnapatnam

South Central Railways officially announced the opening of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited's (BPCL) Gati Shakti rail multi-modal cargo terminal (GCT) at Krishnapatnam in Nellore on Wednesday (27 April).

The terminal, built on private land, will be handling outward traffic of petroleum oil and lubricants in tank wagons.

The GCT agreement was signed by Vavilapalli Rambabu, senior divisional commercial manager, and BPCL authorities, making the completion of the terminal official, and business started thereon Thursday (28 April).

The agreement signed between the Vijayawada division and BPCL has a validity of 35 years.

The railway station servicing the terminal is Krishnapatnam Station on the Venkatachalam-Krishnapatnam section of the Vijayawada division. The distance between the terminal and Krishnapatnam railway station is 16.40 km.

The terminal is expected to handle more than 20 outward rakes per month, aiming to reduce the load of goods for other modes of transportation. With the capability to carry large volumes of goods, it will provide a more efficient and eco-friendly means of transportation, reports Times Of India.

This project is also expected to create new job opportunities and contribute to the economic development of the region.

GCT Policy 2021

In order to boost investment from the industry in the development of additional terminals for handling rail cargos, a new ‘Gati-Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal’ (GCT) policy was launched on 15 December 2021.

The key features of these terminals are a simplified application and approval process, removal of departmental charges and no land license fees on the railway land used for connectivity.

All types of commodities including coal and coke can be transported under GCTs.

The GCTs are being developed by private players and can be developed on non-Railway land or fully or partially on Railway land.

For GCTs to be developed on non-Railway land, the operators will identify the location and will construct the terminal after obtaining the necessary approval.

For GCTs to be developed either fully or partially on Railway land, the land parcels will be identified by Railway and the operator for the construction and operation of the Terminal will be selected through the open tendering process.

Indian Railways' first GCT Terminal under the new policy was commissioned in the Asansol Division of Eastern Railway in March 2022.