Indian Railways now has freight corridors, but will cargo from road come back?

At first glance, rail freight appears to be thriving. Freight loading has risen from 1,098 million tonne in fiscal 2015 to 1,617 million tonne in fiscal 2025 and a record 1,670 million tonne last fiscal. Yet rail’s position within India’s logistics system remains weaker than these numbers imply. The challenge is no longer building tracks. It is persuading customers to choose rail over trucks.