Indian Railways has opened 142 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals across the country, with 310 more locations already approved in principle.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the update in the Lok Sabha this week, responding to questions on the programme’s progress.

The 142 terminals already up and running have a combined freight handling capacity of 224 million tonnes a year, and together moved 146 million tonnes of cargo during the 2025-26 financial year.

The push has also drawn close to Rs 10,000 crore in private investment so far. The idea behind these terminals, known as GCTs, is simple.

The government lets private companies build cargo terminals that connect directly to the rail network, chosen based on local industry demand and existing infrastructure.

Instead of trucking goods long distances to reach a railway line, businesses get a terminal close to where they actually produce or need the goods.

This cuts logistics costs, speeds up loading and unloading, and shifts more freight from road to rail. The terminals handle everything from cement, steel and coal to foodgrains, fertilisers and automobiles.

Some states have moved faster than others. Odisha leads the country with 12 terminals already commissioned and approval granted for 36 more, spread across districts such as Jharsuguda, Jajpur and Cuttack.

Rajasthan follows with 10 operational terminals and 15 more in the pipeline. In Andhra Pradesh, a terminal at Tummalacheruvu in Palnadu district has been running since January 2023 and alone handled over 1.2 million tonnes of freight last year.

Beyond moving goods, the ministry said the terminals have also encouraged nearby warehousing, cold storage and grain silos to come up, helping local industries and farmers reach markets more easily while creating jobs in the region.

The programme forms part of the government’s wider PM Gati Shakti plan to better connect road, rail, ports and airports across India.

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