Developing Rail Freight Terminals: Energizing Private Partnerships
Railways has often been termed as the "backbone of the economy", facilitating passenger and freight transportation to the length and breadth of the country. In recent years, railways has experienced a constant decline in the freight business, resulting in a growing concern for railway finances and National Decarbonisation Targets.
Indian Railways has set an ambitious target of going net-zero by 2030 and achieving a modal share of 45% in total freight transportation. The modal shift to railways can act as the key step towards decarbonizing the transport sector. IR has actively updated the policies and infrastructure in order to achieve the desired targets. However, due to certain constraints in policy as well as in infrastructure, the desired pace of modal shift has not yet been achieved.
The policy brief has tried to examine the policy interventions related to freight terminal development, and identify the key concerns discouraging the private players from investing in freight terminal development. The study also focuses on the constraints of existing freight terminals of IR. In the end, the policy brief suggests certain measures to enhance the railway's capacity in freight handling and to accelerate the private participation for freight terminal development.