Railways Unveils Eight Freight Reforms
Indian Railways has announced eight structural reforms aimed at modernising freight transportation, lowering logistics costs and improving project execution. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the measures take the total reforms introduced under the “Reform Express” initiative to 17.
Railways Expands Containerised Freight Transport
A new container-based system will allow fly ash to be transported in closed ISO-standard containers instead of open wagons. The move is intended to reduce dust pollution and improve movement between thermal power plants and cement factories.
Railways has also replaced four categories of container train operator licences with a single pan-India licence. Operators will pay a uniform non-refundable registration fee of ₹25 crore and will be permitted to run container trains across the railway network.
Freight tariffs for fertilisers, foodgrains, flour and pulses will shift from multiple slabs to simplified per-tonne, per-kilometre rates. These commodities can also be transported in containers for phased unloading, storage and distribution.
Railway Construction and Land Reforms Announced
A new policy will assess and certify workers involved in specialised railway construction, including welding, fitting and masonry. Successful workers will receive QR code-enabled certificates linked to a verification database.
Construction reforms include upfront performance security, stricter eligibility conditions for contractors involved in major litigation and additional insurance requirements.
The Rail Bhoomi digital platform will track land acquisition processes, integrate railway applications and provide real-time monitoring of project progress.
Private Industry Allowed to Design Wagons
Manufacturers and industries will now be permitted to propose specialised freight wagon designs, subject to testing and approval by railway authorities.
Oil companies will also be allowed to purchase or lease specialised tank wagons for transporting petroleum products.
The ministry said the reforms are intended to attract private investment, improve wagon utilisation and move more freight from roads to railways. Indian Railways plans to introduce 52 reforms over 52 weeks during 2026.
