Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal policy: 142 GCTs commissioned; IPAs for 310 more locations
Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) policy: 142 terminals commissioned; In-Principle Approvals (IPAs) for 310 more locations
- The Ministry of Railways designed the GCT policy to encourage cargo terminals through private investment and to decide terminal locations based on industry demand, potential cargo traffic, railway infrastructure availability, and overall logistics potential of the area.
- The Ministry of Railways reported commissioning of 142 GCTs and In-Principle Approvals (IPAs) for 310 additional GCT locations, indicating a pipeline approach from approval to commissioned capacity.
What happened
The Ministry of Railways launched the Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) policy to encourage setting up of cargo terminals through private investment. Location of GCTs is decided using demand from industry, potential cargo traffic, availability of railway infrastructure, and overall logistics potential of the area.
Background and earlier position
UPSC can frame the GCT policy as a logistics-capacity creation effort: location selection is demand- and infrastructure-led, and outputs are tracked using commissioned terminals and In-Principle Approvals. The reported expected outcomes—faster loading/unloading, lower first-mile and last-mile costs, improved wagon turnaround, and modal shift from road to rail—connect transport infrastructure provisioning with economic efficiency and governance of private participation.
Related dispatches
