Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday (15 September) inaugurated four Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) in Gujarat and laid the foundation stone for a fifth.
The terminals at Shivlakha and Bhimasar in Kachchh, Devaliya in Morbi and Chandisar in Banaskantha were dedicated to the nation, while a new GCT at Linch in Mahesana was taken up for construction. Vaishnaw also flagged off a salt-loaded freight train from Shivlakha to Mithapur.
The new facilities are expected to increase rail capacity, ease pressure at port locations and improve movement of goods between Gujarat’s ports and the northern hinterland. The minister said 150 GCTs have now been commissioned across India.
A key focus of the event was improving salt transportation from Gujarat, particularly Kachchh. Vaishnaw said new lightweight stainless steel containers have been developed to make salt handling more efficient.
The containers can be loaded from the top and unloaded from the side, addressing problems caused by moisture and conventional wagon handling.
Railway projects worth around Rs 5,600 crore are currently underway in Kachchh, including capacity augmentation and doubling works around Samakhiali, Bhachau, Gandhidham, Adipur and Bhuj.
Vaishnaw said the Samakhiali-Bhachau and Gandhidham-Adipur sections have been made four-line, while doubling is underway between Adipur and Bhuj.
On the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, he said construction on the Vapi-Surat section is targeted for completion by December 2026, followed by testing and other works.
He also said the first coach of India’s indigenous high-speed train has been prepared and is undergoing tests.
