DP World has launched first dedicated reefer rail freight service from Thimmapur, Hyderabad to Nhava Sheva (JNPA), in collaboration with Ocean Network Express (ONE). This solution has enabled the first-ever refrigerated rail movement from DP World Thimmapur ICD to Nhava Sheva, providing a customized logistics offering for the region’s pharmaceutical exporters. By shifting cargo from road to rail, the service ensures vessel connectivity while maintaining stable temperatures which is critical to preserving the efficacy and potency of pharmaceutical products.
By consolidating cargo in a single train, rail ensures the entire volume reaches the port together, aligned with vessel schedules. This level of assured connectivity is harder to achieve through road, where cargo arrives in smaller, staggered lots. The new weekly service can carry up to 43 forty-feet containers in a single train. With four scheduled services per month, DP World can shift more than 172 containers from road to rail, helping to reduce road congestion which is equivalent to reducing 43 trucks on road per day.
Each container is supported by DP World’s proprietary powerpacks that maintain precise temperature control throughout the journey ensuring the potency and effectiveness by maintaining a stable. A combination of human expertise and digital intervention ensures cargo integrity and security, with dedicated technicians accompanying every train and staying digitally connected with ground teams to monitor conditions in real time.
The service is expected to cut carbon emissions by up to 70% compared to road transport. For Telangana, where Hyderabad is recognized as the country’s pharmaceutical hub, the service supports state efforts to strengthen multimodal logistics with sustainable solutions now available for businesses. By reducing operational risks and eliminating incidental costs linked to delays, the service also aligns with the government’s agenda of improving ease of doing business and building more sustainable transport networks.