The Indian Railways plans to build 100 cargo terminals in the next three years in different parts of the country under the Gati Shakti programme, to boost its revenue from the transportation of freight.
The Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) are being developed by private players and can be developed on non-railway land or fully/partially on the railway land, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Lok Sabha on Thursday.
So far, 15 Gati Shakti multi-model cargo terminals have been commissioned, and more than 90 locations have been identified to set up terminals, he said.
The location of GCTs is being decided based on demand from industry and the potential of cargo traffic, he said.
The important features of these terminals are a simplified application and approval process, quick and hassle-free approvals, the removal of departmental charges, and no land licence fees on the railway land used for connectivity, said the official from the railway.
With the railways aggressively pushing freight movement, the railways earned Rs 1,05,905 crore in the first eight months of the current financial year, 16 per cent higher than the Rs 91,127 crore earned last year during this period.
In November 2022, originating freight loading of 123.9 MT was achieved against 116.96 MT in the same month a year ago, which is 5 per cent higher.
"The customer-centric approach and work of business development units, backed up by agile policy-making, helped railways towards this landmark achievement," the national transporter said.