Parliament Question: App-based Rail Parcel Platform

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3143 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 APP-BASED RAIL PARCEL PLATFORM 3143. SHRI G M HARISH BALAYOGI: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of door-to-door freight and parcel logistics initiatives, Integrated Logistics Hubs established, since inception, including present status of each zone and year/UT-wise; (b) the details of Joint Parcel Product between Railways and India Post including routes, consignments handled, revenue generated and expansion plans; (c) whether South Central Railway is developing an app-based Rail Parcel platform for door-to-door parcel booking, if so, the details thereof including pilot scope and scale-up plans; (d) the number of private logistics partners onboarded revenue-sharing mechanism and total revenue earned from door-to-door services during the last three years, year and zone-wise; (e) the details of parcel infrastructure created and door-to-door services proposed in SCR especially in Andhra Pradesh; and (f) whether an assessment of cost and time advantages vis-à-vis road- based logistics has been conducted and if so, the details thereof including roadmap for national roll-out of a digital logistics platform? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (f): For strengthening freight logistics and regional connectivity, Indian Railways has implemented a multi-pronged strategy to enhance freight efficiency, ensure seamless regional connectivity, and provide robust first-and-last-mile solutions. §To improve the efficiency of rail freight handling at the terminals, Indian Railway has adopted two-pronged approach: encouraging development of modern rail freight terminals under Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) policy and augmenting/upgrading the infrastructure at railway owned goods sheds. So far, 125 GCTs have already been commissioned. In addition, for improvement of customer amenities at goods and parcel terminals all across the country, an amount of Rs. 14,500 crore has been allocated for the financial year 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. CONCOR, a PSU under Ministry of Railways is also providing Door-to-Door parcel services by utilizing the JPP-RCS over Delhi-Kolkata and Mumbai- Kolkata sectors. CONCOR is also providing Door-to-Door logistics under a pilot project at Sonik Goods shed. The Joint Parcel Product (JPP) initiative with India Post was introduced on pilot basis in 2022 over certain routes to target business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) market with focus on e-Commerce and MSME market with an affordable price as per the market trends of weight category between 35 Kgs to 100 Kgs. Under the scheme India Post provided First & Last Mile services, and Indian Railways provided the Middle Mile services. Based on the experience gained from the pilot, the JPP scheme was made available for other parcel aggregators also and was renamed as Joint Parcel Product – Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS). Under the scheme, online booking of JPP-RCS (in units of VPs) is done by empanelled parcel aggregators through the “Virtual aggregation Platform” (VAP) developed by IR. Currently 07 pairs of scheduled (time tabled) services are operating between specific locations which have been planned on the basis of market demand and operational feasibility. Total revenue generated fromthe JPP-RCS during the current year (upto February 2026) is Rs 56 crore approximately. A pilot project for the development of a comprehensive “App-Based Platform” for railway parcel logistics has been launched by South Central Railway on 25.02.2026 for a period of one year. Under this pilot project, door-to-door parcel service is being provided in association with logistics service providers. The integrated parcel logistics app, “Rail Parcel”, has been developed as a digital marketplace wherein selected logistics service providers are on-boarded as partners. These logistics partners offer a range of services including first-mile pickup, last-mile delivery, value-added services such as packaging, etc., with Railways providing the mid-mile transportation through rail services. The project is being implemented at seventeen stations across seven cities viz. Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Bengaluru and Chennai. At present, three private logistics partners have been on boarded through an Expression of Interest process. Business Development units functional at all Railway Divisions have been advised to engage with various stakeholders to assess the traffic as well as availability and readiness of logistics service provider for the first and last mile service. Decision on the roll out of the App on Pan-India basis shall be based on the experience gained from the project. *****