Assam: Northeast Frontier Railway GM reviews progress of new 'Gati Shakti' cargo terminal projects

Guwahati, February 27: The General Manager of Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway Chetan Kumar Shrivastava conducted a review meeting on Thursday with senior railway officials at the NF Railway Headquarters, Maligaon in Guwahati to assess the progress of the new Gati Shakti cargo terminals being developed across the region as a part of NF Railway's commitment to enhancing freight logistics in the region and streamlining cargo handling infrastructure under the PM Gati Shakti framework, a release said.

On February 25, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, during his address at the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit at Guwahati, had announced the development of six new Gati Shakti cargo terminals in Assam, in addition to the two already existing terminals at Moinarband near Silchar and Cinnamara near Jorhat.

Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway, said that Gati Shakti cargo terminals are state-of-the-art logistics terminals built with the participation of major industry partners for faster and more efficient cargo handling.

"These terminals are equipped with modern facilities which will improve the efficiency of freight logistics in the region and bring down the logistics costs, thereby enabling India to improve its position in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI). One of these Gati Shakti cargo terminals is being developed at Baihata in the Kamrup Rural District of Assam, constructed by BR Transcon Ltd. The terminal will feature three new goods lines, an Electronic in-motion weighbridge, a durable goods circulating area with two goods platforms, high mast lighting for round-the-clock operations and a special ramp for efficient handling of automobiles, among other facilities. It is expected that more than 25 freight rakes will be handled at this terminal every month," Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said.

GM Shrivastava instructed the concerned officials to ensure completion of this work within the next month.

"Similarly, work on the Gati Shakti Cargo terminal at the Jogighopa Multi Modal logistics park is also in an advanced stage and is targeted to be completed by March 2025. The establishment of these cargo terminals supports Indian Railways' goal of modernizing freight logistics and enhancing multimodal connectivity. NF Railway remains focused on strengthening infrastructure and operational efficiency, fostering economic growth and reinforcing the logistics network across the Northeast region," Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said.