Indian Railways have announced many freight incentives to give a boost to the economy. The surcharge of 15 per cent on freight, that is levied between 1st of October to 30th June has been deferred.
The 5% supplementary charges on loading on mini and two-point rakes has also been waived off. This could help boost loading of smaller cargo sizes and help food grains, cement, steel and fertilizers loading.
A discount of 25 % in haulage charge of containers has been allowed to encourage the movement of empty and flat to ports in order to increase loaded container traffic. These measures are expected to enhance the price-competitiveness of Railway and expand freight basket by capturing new traffic.
The number of rakes to be provided for the auto sector has also been hiked in a bid to increase freight loading.