India’s ports have significantly expanded their cargo-handling capacity over the past decade, but industry experts warn that the country’s logistics challenges are increasingly moving inland, where inadequate road and rail connectivity, container shortages, and inefficient cargo evacuation are slowing the movement of freight.
According to industry stakeholders, recent congestion at major gateways such as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority highlighted that port infrastructure itself was not the principal constraint. Instead, delays stemmed from bottlenecks in the hinterland logistics network, including limited rail capacity, road congestion, and shortages of transport equipment.
Experts note that while India has invested heavily in expanding port capacity under initiatives such as Sagarmala, equivalent investments in multimodal evacuation infrastructure have not kept pace with rising cargo volumes. As trade grows, the efficiency of moving containers between ports, industrial clusters, inland container depots (ICDs), and distribution centres has become increasingly critical.
Industry participants say stronger integration between ports, railways, highways, inland waterways, and logistics parks is essential to reduce turnaround times, lower logistics costs, and improve supply chain resilience. Digital coordination across stakeholders, including shipping lines, transporters, customs authorities, and terminal operators, is also viewed as a key priority.
With India’s cargo volumes expected to continue growing alongside manufacturing and exports, experts believe the country’s next phase of logistics development must focus on strengthening hinterland connectivity and multimodal freight movement rather than only expanding port infrastructure.