Indian Railways Freight Reforms Boost Bulk Cement Movement

13 Feb 2026 CW Team

Discounts for empty return movement on a GTKM basis have also been offered to improve economics for users. Trade response to the GTKM charging scheme has been described as encouraging by officials, and several cement producers have approached CONCOR to use tank containers. The reforms are projected to reduce overall freight costs for bulk cement movement, lower fuel consumption and reduce emissions by shifting tonnage from road to rail.

The earlier charging structure had applied haulage on a per TEU basis with distance slabs and offered graded discounts for empty return movement of 50 per cent in the first year, 40 per cent in the second year, 30 per cent in the third year, 20 per cent in the fourth year and 10 per cent in the fifth year, with no discount from the sixth year onwards. That mechanism had been found unattractive by cement producers and had deterred modal shift from road to rail. The new GTKM approach is intended to create a win?win situation for the Railways and its customers.

CONCOR is also supporting terminal investments to enable faster turnaround and reduced handling losses compared with bagged consignments, which should improve plant to market efficiency. The adoption of tank containers and silo handling is expected to shorten transit cycles and lower handling costs while contributing to sustainability goals. Officials indicated that deepening these reforms and marketing the schemes will be central to attracting additional loading onto the rail network.

Indian Railways has revised freight charging on a gross tonne kilometre (GTKM) basis and introduced incentives that are encouraging cement companies to shift bulk cement movement to rail. The Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) is facilitating silo infrastructure at its terminals and promoting tank container operations to lower logistics costs and emissions. The Railways reduced charges on a GTKM basis from Rs zero point nine zero to Rs zero point eight five per tonne per kilometre, which has made rail movement more competitive against road transport. Discounts for empty return movement on a GTKM basis have also been offered to improve economics for users. Trade response to the GTKM charging scheme has been described as encouraging by officials, and several cement producers have approached CONCOR to use tank containers. The reforms are projected to reduce overall freight costs for bulk cement movement, lower fuel consumption and reduce emissions by shifting tonnage from road to rail. The earlier charging structure had applied haulage on a per TEU basis with distance slabs and offered graded discounts for empty return movement of 50 per cent in the first year, 40 per cent in the second year, 30 per cent in the third year, 20 per cent in the fourth year and 10 per cent in the fifth year, with no discount from the sixth year onwards. That mechanism had been found unattractive by cement producers and had deterred modal shift from road to rail. The new GTKM approach is intended to create a win?win situation for the Railways and its customers. CONCOR is also supporting terminal investments to enable faster turnaround and reduced handling losses compared with bagged consignments, which should improve plant to market efficiency. The adoption of tank containers and silo handling is expected to shorten transit cycles and lower handling costs while contributing to sustainability goals. Officials indicated that deepening these reforms and marketing the schemes will be central to attracting additional loading onto the rail network.

Real Estate

04 Aug 2026

LML Realty Launches Cinema Campaign on Industrial Vision

LML Realty has launched a cinema advertising campaign in partnership with PVR INOX across 81 screens in Gurugram and Faridabad, showcasing the brand’s transformation from a mobility icon to an industrial infrastructure developer.The campaign features a cinematic brand film tracing LML’s journey since 1972, beginning with its iconic scooters and highlighting its evolution into creating infrastructure solutions that support India’s manufacturing growth.The film focuses on LML Industrial Park at Jhirka Valley, the company’s flagship industrial development approved under the Haryana Govern..

Real Estate

04 Aug 2026

IIM Ahmedabad Publishes Case Study on HoABL’s Business Model

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has published a case study on The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), examining the company’s digital-first consumer journey and business model that created India’s branded land category.Titled “HoABL: Ready for Scaling Up”, the case study has been published by the IIMA Case Centre and co-authored by Sourav Borah, Associate Professor of Marketing at IIMA, and Dr Aparna Kansal of IMT Ghaziabad. IIMA case studies are used across management and executive education programmes to help students and business leaders analyse strategic decision..

Infrastructure Energy

04 Aug 2026

Advait Energy and MEIL Partner for Energy Transition Projects

Advait Energy Transitions Limited (AETL) and Manipal Energy Infratech Limited (MEIL), a company of The Manipal Group, have entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on power and energy transition opportunities across India and international markets.The partnership aims to combine AETL’s expertise in innovative energy technologies and manufacturing with MEIL’s EPC execution capabilities and project management experience. The collaboration will focus on opportunities across Power Transmission & Distribution, Renewable Energy, Battery Energy Storage Systems..