The visibility revolution: Synergising rail FNR tracking with ULIP for smarter logistics

 

—By Ashutosh Shekhar, Program Manager, NICDC Logistics Data Services Limited (NLDSL)

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world of trade, manufacturing and global supply chains, visibility and coordination are no longer “nice to have” but they’re fundamental. India’s multimodal transport networks (i.e., rail/road/port/storage), as they progress into the next level of conjunctions, will require the ability to track and trace freight containers and their supporting shipments in real-time.

The introduction of rail freight number tracking (FNR) and application programming interfaces (APIs), which enable integration with other transport modes using the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), represents a major benefit to all logistics stakeholders by providing comprehensive, accurate and timely data. This enables all stakeholders to improve the speed and reliability of freight transport, and ultimately to provide better service to customers by improving their ability to make informed decisions regarding their supply chain management. 

As India approaches 2025 and moves to build a logistics infrastructure that meets international standards, the integration of FNR and ULIP is not only a technological advancement, but an absolute necessity for the continued viability of the logistics business in India.

Understanding the concepts: What are we talking about?

ULIP: A unified digital gateway

*The National Logistics Policy establishes ULIP, or Unified Logistics Interface Platform, which serves as the single point of access for many disparate sources of logistics data across all of the above-mentioned government systems,/ministries and means of transport types (land/air/water), and also allows for access to more than 2,000 different data fields.  

* As of December 2022, ULIP has successfully connected 44 of the various government systems, each of which supports either a specific type of transport¬ system or specific types of logistics operations, and it is estimated that these connections will ultimately be achieved via an estimated 136 APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). 

* More than 1,750 organisations are registered on ULIP, hundreds of applications have been developed over it, and the platform has surpassed 230 crore API transactions. 

*ULIP supports multimodal visibility — connecting road, rail, port, Customs, warehousing and other logistics nodes via a common interface. 

Rail FNR tracking

* “FNR” in a rail context refers to the freight/container movement reference (or identifier) used to track the status of freight rakes, container shipments and their movement across railway networks. When integrated properly, FNR tracking enables stakeholders to know in real time whether a container/rake has departed, arrived, is in transit, or is delayed.

* For a container- or rail-heavy economy like India’s, where large volumes of goods move across long distances, real-time rail tracking is a foundational requirement to ensure smooth inter-modal transit.

Why the synergy matters: Key benefits of combining rail FNR with ULIP

When you bring together real-time rail tracking (FNR-based) with the unified data connectivity of ULIP, the payoff is substantial. Here’s how:

* Total shipment visibility – With one platform for tracking your cargo through all modes of transport (rail, port, road etc.), each party involved can have complete visibility on the shipment from start to finish. You will no longer have separate tracking processes for your shipment dependent on the mode of transport, allowing online coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders (exporter, importer, transporter, regulators) to have one version of the shipment data.

* Operational performance and optimisation of resources through the provision of real-time status updates - By providing a customer’s real-time information regarding their product status (delays), customers can plan their resource allocation (yard space, labour, truck despatch) accordingly and take preventative measures to mitigate the costs of demurrage and wharfage on both the rail and road transport modes. 

* Analytics & reporting from data integration – By using all the data integrated from rail/port/Customs/warehouses, shippers and regulatory bodies can analyse the transportation metrics and get detailed information on transit times and where issues are occurring, allowing them to determine where improvements can be made.

* Democratising logistics – Allowing importer/exporter/transporters – as well as MSMEs - quick access to multimodal shipment tracking so they can manage supply chains efficiently and be competitive.

*Sustainable & cost-effective: Options for improved fuel & reduced idle time at the port/container yard – Better planning means less wasted time/money on ‘dead’ runs, reduces overall fuel use, and less idle time for the container.

* Resilience & planning for increased/peak demand – When conditions cause increased demand either from festive season or peak weeks, integrated tracking will enable users to anticipate potential bottlenecks and systematise load distribution across shipments.

The growing potential of LDB in India: What you should know 

* Multimodal Shipment Visibility has been added to the expanded capabilities of LDB under its API ecosystem that connects rail containers with ULIP (Unified Logistics Interface Platform), and is an essential function of ULIP. 

* ULIP’s growing metrics demonstrate its widespread acceptance, as shown by the 230 crore+ API transactions completed thus far, in addition to the more than 1,750+ businesses utilising ULIP through hundreds of applications. 

* ULIP is being utilised by the Central and State Governments in India; for example, there has been a recent collaboration between NLDSL (NLDB) and the State of Andhra Pradesh to develop a Logistics Dashboard at the State Level that will provide real-time governance and oversight of ALL State logistics activities.

* The ongoing emphasis on multimodal integration, rail + road + port + warehousing, in the National Logistics Policy and infrastructure planning makes this the opportune moment for stakeholders to adopt end-to-end tracking.

Industry stakeholders: A call to action

* By promoting the rail FNR and ULIP integration model in your organisation, either as an exporter, importer or freight forwarder, each of these stakeholders can leverage their own capabilities as well. Adopting the rail FNR and ULIP integration model enables the development of:

* End-to-end control towers: Providing complete visibility and real-time monitoring of cargo movement, with the ability to forecast any potential delays, and ensure the rescheduling or re-routing of a shipment as required.

* Performance measurement and benchmarking: Assessment of all transportation times (i.e. transit time, dwell time, container/rake turnaround) to ensure that all transit time is within a minimum threshold across all routes and operators  

provides the ability to make data-supported decisions for the selection of logistics partners. 

* Just-in-Time (JIT) supply chains: The establishment of a reliable and predictable ETA will allow businesses to reduce their overall inventory holding cost, improve their cash flow and quickly respond to demand.

*Sustainability and green logistics support: Transportation via the rail and road transportation methods enables greater efficiency by limiting idle time, lowering fuel usage and carbon footprint, supporting sustainability initiatives as well as “Green” initiatives identified with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives.

* Enabling smaller companies and MSMEs: Smaller companies and MSMEs benefit from equal access to both real-time and historical data. Through the use of an equal-access platform, these businesses can compete on equal footing with larger companies.

* Support policy and infrastructure planning: Review of aggregated data over time will assist government and infrastructure planners identify bottlenecks, congestion zones and capacity constraints to direct funding for capacity expansion, new ICDs/CFSs and alternative routes.

Conclusion: To be successful in 2025 and beyond

Please visit our youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@ikargos2719 for fortnightly logistics news analysis and more!