The ministry of railways on Tuesday launched three new freight projects aimed at strengthening multi-modal logistics and improving door-to-door connectivity.
The initiatives, announced by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, include an assured transit container train service between Delhi and Kolkata, a door-to-door parcel service between Mumbai and Kolkata, and an integrated logistics hub at Sonik (Lucknow division).
These projects will be operated by the railways logistics arm CONCOR. In a statement, the ministry said that these projects mark a major step towards providing faster, cost-effective, and reliable logistics services across the country.
The bi-weekly assured transit container train service between Delhi (Tughlakabad) and Kolkata introduces a time-bound freight service with a guaranteed transit time.
This container service will operate on the Delhi-Agra-Kanpur-Kolkata route, offering multiple booking options including door-to-door, terminal-to-terminal, and terminal-to-door options.
Under this, the railways is giving an assured (maximum) transit time of 120 hours but the officials said that the first few services just took about 50 hours.
“The customers can avail the service through CONCOR e-Logistics mobile app,” the statement said. Further, the door-to-door parcel service between Mumbai (Bhiwandi) and Kolkata (Sankrail) is going to operate bi-weekly, integrating rail and road transport to deliver end-to-end logistics.
The first and last mile are managed by CONCOR and its associate partners, while the middle-mile movement is handled through Indian Railways’ parcel trains. Companies which are likely to benefit from this service include VIP Industries, Castrol India, Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co. and Raptakos Brett & Co.
As per the railways, this service will reduce the logistics cost and transit time significantly, compared to all-road movement, providing shippers with a modern, multimodal and sustainable logistics solution.
The third initiative – Sonik integrated logistics hub, developed in the Lucknow Division is strategically located between Kanpur and Lucknow and will serve as a multimodal facility offering warehousing, inventory management, and first and last-mile connectivity.
The hub is expected to handle key commodities such as tractors, fertilisers, cement, and food grains, and could ramp up freight throughput by nearly 20% within a year, strengthening regional supply chains and supporting industrial growth in Uttar Pradesh.
In FY25, the Indian Railways’ freight loading stood at 1,617.38 million tonnes, which was just 1.68% higher than the previous financial year.