Gateway Distriparks signs pact with Sawariya Group to provide rail services at Ankleshwar logistics park

Mumbai, Aug 8 (PTI) Multi-modal logistics operator Gateway Distriparks Limited on Friday said it has signed a 15-year pact with the Sawariya Group of industries to become the exclusive container train operator for the Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Ankleshwar.

The facility is capable of handling double-stack trains and is connected directly to the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

The 120-acre facility will serve key industrial zones, including Surat, Panoli GIDC, Ankleshwar GIDC, Bharuch, Jhagadia GIDC, Dahej, and Hazira, among other prominent hubs in Gujarat.

Under the pact, GDL will be providing rail services, while terminal operations will be run by Sawariya, which has over two decades of experience in logistics, warehousing and industrial construction, the company said.

Strategically located near Surat, the logistics park is equipped to handle domestic containers, EXIM containers, bulk cargo, and offer other multimodal services.

The logistics park will have an annual capacity of 2,00,000 TEUs and 850,000 sq ft of warehousing space, with capacity expansion to be undertaken in phases in line with business demand, GDL said.

"This partnership with Sawariya strengthens our presence in Western India and enhances our ability to serve customers through an integrated hub-and-spoke network. The asset-light model enables us to scale quickly without any capital investment in the terminal by focusing on rail operations and leveraging our network advantage," Prem Kishan Dass Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Global Distriparks Ltd, said.

GDL, he said, will continue to develop its inland container depots in the north-west corridor, while it looks for more opportunities to expand its network through strategic partnerships like the one with Sawariya.

Domestic operations have commenced immediately, with GDL holding exclusivity for all regions where it operates its own ICDs, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Ludhiana, Uttarakhand and Ahmedabad markets, along with first right of refusal for new markets, the company said. PTI IAS BAL BAL