Indian Railways has introduced the country’s first specialised salt container train between the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal at Shivlakha in Gujarat’s Kutch district and Mithapur, aiming to improve cargo handling, protect salt quality and reduce transportation costs for the salt industry.
The specially designed containers feature stainless steel coating and a top-loading, side-unloading mechanism to minimise exposure to rain and moisture during transit. The new system is expected to reduce cargo losses and improve the efficiency of transporting salt from production centres to markets across India.
According to Mohammed Arshad, terminal head at Shivlakha Cargo Terminal, each container can carry 35.5 tonnes of salt, compared with approximately 28–30 tonnes previously. The higher payload capacity is expected to enable more salt to be transported at the same transportation cost, generating estimated logistics savings of around 11%.
Ahmedabad Divisional Railway Manager Ved Prakash said the containers have two openings at the top for loading salt and a side-opening mechanism for unloading. After loading, the containers can be lifted onto trailers for onward transportation, facilitating cargo movement between rail and road networks.
The initiative addresses a long-standing challenge for salt producers, as transportation in conventional open wagons exposes cargo to moisture, potentially affecting quality and increasing losses. The new containers are designed to offer better protection during transit while improving handling efficiency.
Tejabhai Kangad, president of the Gandhidham Chamber of Commerce, said the stainless steel-coated containers could bring significant improvements to the salt industry by preventing moisture-related damage and helping preserve salt quality throughout transportation.
Kutch is one of India’s major salt-producing regions, where traditional salt workers, known as Agariyas, harvest salt across the Rann. The specialised container service is expected to strengthen the region’s logistics infrastructure by providing a more secure and cost-effective rail transportation option for salt producers and traders.
The initiative also highlights Indian Railways’ efforts to develop commodity-specific freight solutions through Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals, supporting more efficient multimodal logistics and improving the competitiveness of regional industries.