India will need around 215 large multimodal logistics parks (MMLPs) by 2047 to support the sharp increase in rail-based cargo movement needed to meet the government’s target of increasing railways’ share in freight transport from 27.4 per cent at present to 45 per cent by 2047, according to a report released by CII and Knight Frank India on May 29, 2026.
Freight Projection
The report, titled ‘Fast-Tracking MMLPs to Enable Modal Shift: India’s Multimodal Logistics Transformation’, said India’s freight movement is projected to rise more than four-fold to about 28 billion tonnes a year by 2047, necessitating a major overhaul of logistics infrastructure and cargo aggregation systems.
To achieve the 45 per cent target under the National Rail Plan, Indian Railways would need to handle nearly 12,649 million metric tonnes of freight a year by 2047.
Current Infrastructure Gap
India has only 30 operational MMLPs at present, which handle around 129 million metric tonnes of cargo a year, or just 2 per cent of total freight movement. The report noted that MMLPs—integrated hubs connecting rail, road and ports with warehousing and mechanised handling systems—will be crucial in enabling the shift away from road-based freight movement.
Road Dominance
At present, India’s freight ecosystem remains heavily dependent on roads, which account for nearly 70 per cent of freight movement by tonne-kilometre despite rail freight costing almost half of road transport.
The infrastructure gap highlights the urgent need for substantial investment in multimodal cargo aggregation facilities to facilitate the planned modal shift toward more cost-effective and sustainable rail-based freight transportation.
