NFR Holds Stakeholder Meeting to Enhance Containerized Tea Movement by Rail

 Guwahati, 6^th May, 2026:

In an effort towards enhancing transportation of tea through containerized movement by rail, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) held a meeting with major stakeholders of the tea industry including logistics operators, tea associations, exporters and producers at the Zonal Headquarters, Maligaon on 6^th May, 2026.

 Assam produces nearly 160 million kg of export-oriented tea annually. Keeping in view the growing demand for efficient logistics support, the initiative aims to encourage greater movement of tea consignments through rail-based containerized services, which offer advantages such as cost-effectiveness, reliability, faster transit, reduced handling loss and eco-friendly transportation. NFR has been consistently working towards strengthening freight infrastructure and developing customer-oriented logistics solutions to cater to the requirements of the tea industry across the North Eastern region and adjoining areas.

 

During the meeting, senior railway officials, representatives from the tea industry, logistics operators and other stakeholders discussed various measures for improving rail connectivity, operational coordination and container handling facilities for tea movement. Discussions also focused on strategies to attract higher tea traffic to Railways through efficient, seamless and customer-friendly transportation services.

NFR has recorded a commendable performance in freight operations during FY 2025-26 by achieving a total freight loading of 11.4 million tonnes (MT), registering a growth of 6% over the previous financial year. Freight handling operations also witnessed substantial improvement, with unloading increasing by 688 rakes from 12,346 rakes in FY 2024-25 to 13,034 rakes in FY 2025-26. To further strengthen freight logistics infrastructure in the region, NFR is also developing and operationalizing modern freight terminals and multimodal cargo handling facilities. The new terminals at Sairang in Mizoram and Molvom in Nagaland along with others are expected to significantly improve freight accessibility and connectivity in the North Eastern states. In addition, development of Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals across the zone is enhancing the capability for efficient cargo aggregation, container handling and first-mile-last-mile connectivity, thereby creating greater opportunities for industries including tea producers and exporters to increasingly adopt rail transportation.

This initiative reflects NFR’s continued commitment towards strengthening freight infrastructure, promoting sustainable transportation and providing customer-centric logistics solutions to support economic growth and industrial development in the North Eastern region.