New Delhi: In a landmark initiative to modernize freight movement, Indian Railways, in collaboration with Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), has launched its first-ever container train service with an assured transit time.

The pilot project rolled out on October 1, 2025, and is being seen as a significant step toward offering shippers reliability and speed comparable to road transport.

The bi-weekly train service will operate between Inland Container Depot (ICD) Tughlakabad in Delhi and CONCOR’s CTCS terminal in Kolkata, covering the busy freight corridor via Agra and Kanpur.

What sets this service apart is the guarantee of 120-hour (five-day) transit time, making it the first assured delivery service on this stretch.

The dedicated container train will follow a fixed route: TICD (Delhi) – ICDY (Agra) – ICDG (Kanpur) – CTKR/CTCS (Kolkata). Trains will depart every Wednesday and Saturday, ensuring predictable scheduling for shippers.

A hub-and-spoke cargo aggregation model at Agra and Kanpur will further widen the reach of the service, enabling businesses from nearby regions to tap into the faster logistics chain.

To make the service more attractive, CONCOR has announced a waiver on empty wagon haulage charges from Tughlakabad to Kanpur. This is expected to cut costs for customers while encouraging higher adoption of rail-based freight.

According to the Railway Ministry, the assured transit service will bring multiple advantages to the logistics sector. These include:

  • Door-to-door assured and reliable delivery, particularly beneficial for time-sensitive cargo.
  • A competitive alternative to road transport, which currently dominates freight movement between Delhi and Kolkata.
  • Enhanced connectivity for northern hinterland cargo, thanks to efficient aggregation points.
  • Priority benefits for early adopters, offering them a first-mover advantage in the scheme.

Railways officials said the pilot will serve as a test case for scaling up similar services across other key freight routes. If successful, the assured transit model could redefine rail freight logistics in India by combining cost-effectiveness, predictability, and speed.

With this step, Indian Railways aims to tap into the fast-growing logistics market and challenge the dominance of road transport, while also reducing congestion and emissions.