Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has initiated the operation of a dedicated Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET) service between Tripura capital Agartala and Sanehwal in Punjab.

 NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that this logistic cargo train aims towards facilitating and enhancing the transportation of key commodities, including rubber, pineapples from Agartala in the northeast region to broader markets of the country.

“This initiative is set to strengthen the northeast region’s trade infrastructure and support local economies further,” he said.

According to the CPRO, the PCET, designated with train numbers 00832/00833, is scheduled to run twice a month, totalling 144 round trips over a six-year period.

He said that initially, the train would comprise 15 parcel vans and one brake van, with further plans to expand to 20 parcel vans after six months to accommodate the anticipated increasing demand.

The service would facilitate efficient and timely movement of goods, reducing transit time, thus providing a reliable logistics solution for traders and farmers of the region.

Following a transparent and competitive bidding process, AVG Logistics Ltd. has been awarded the lease to operate this train service.

CPRO Sharma said that the total contract value stands at approximately Rs 68.95 crore, reflecting the significant investment towards bolstering the region’s supply chain capabilities.

This will mark a major step towards encouraging more traders of the region to participate in similar activities with the most cost and efficient freight transportation system of the nation -- the Railways.

This development further underscores NFR’s commitment towards fostering economic growth and improving connectivity in the northeast region, thus aligning with Indian Railways' broader vision for promoting parcel train services for long-haul freight needs of the nation, the NFR CPRO said.

Currently cultivating natural rubber on 97,171.93 hectares of land, Tripura is the second-largest natural rubber producing state in the country after Kerala, annually producing 1,02,989 tonnes of rubber, worth Rs 1,620 crore.

The northeastern state annually produces 1.28 lakh tonnes of two major varieties -- Kew and Queen -- of pineapples in 8,800 hectares of mountainous orchards across the state, and for many years, has been exporting the pineapples and lemons to many countries and many Indian states as well.