Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually inaugurated the country's first integrated logistics hub at Sonik and flagged off two new door-to-door freight services on October 11, 2025. The initiative marks a transformative shift in how Indian Railways handles cargo transportation across the nation.
Speaking at the virtual event, Vaishnaw emphasized that door-to-door services would revolutionize freight movement by bridging the crucial gap between factories and railway terminals.
"Industries no longer need to fill entire rakes to transport goods. They can now send specific numbers of containers directly to their destinations," the minister explained. This flexibility is expected to slash logistics costs significantly while improving operational efficiency.
The newly inaugurated Sonik hub, strategically positioned between Lucknow and Kanpur, will be managed by Container Corporation of India (CONCOR). Located approximately 50 kilometers from Lucknow and 20 kilometers from Kanpur, the terminal offers comprehensive services including warehousing, inventory management, and distribution facilities. The hub will handle diverse cargo ranging from fertilizers and food grains to cement and tractors.
Two groundbreaking services were launched alongside the hub inauguration. The first is an assured transit container train connecting Delhi to Kolkata via Agra and Kanpur, guaranteeing delivery within 120 hours. Operating bi-weekly every Wednesday and Saturday, this service provides flexible booking options through CONCOR's mobile app, allowing customers to choose from door-to-door, door-to-terminal, or terminal-to-terminal services.
The second service utilizes railway parcel vans for door-to-door delivery between Mumbai and Kolkata. Already serving major brands like Castrol India, VIP Industries, Godrej, and Nestle, this integrated service has demonstrated impressive results, cutting logistics costs by 7.5 percent and reducing transit time by nearly 30 percent compared to road transport.
Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar highlighted that this initiative represents Indian Railways' evolution from merely transporting goods to becoming a complete logistics solution provider. "This aligns perfectly with the Viksit Bharat vision," Kumar noted, adding that the service model allows consignments to be picked directly from warehouses and delivered to final destinations seamlessly.
The minister also announced plans to expand affordable transportation for agricultural and construction equipment, including tractors and JCBs, benefiting farmers and the construction sector. Starting with the Mumbai-Kolkata corridor, the services will gradually expand to connect more cities across India.
As the world's second-largest freight carrier moving 1.6 billion tonnes annually, Indian Railways is leveraging its massive network through the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals initiative, which has already developed 115 multimodal terminals.
