Assured container train service between Bengaluru and Delhi has been started

Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna. | Photo Credit: Photo File

Minister of State for Railways V Somanna on Saturday (September 5) flagged off the domestic container train service ‘Guaranteed Transit Time’ connecting the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Whitefield in Bengaluru to Tughlakabad in Delhi via the ICD at Tondiarpet in Chennai.

The service launched by Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) in collaboration with Indian Railways, will carry domestic cargo in CONCOR-owned containers. The train will depart from ICD Whitefield every Saturday and according to South Western Railway (SWR), it will provide industries with a planned and predictable logistics option for transporting goods to North India.

The service offers a total transit time of 166 hours, which aims to provide a reliable, cost-effective and predictable freight solution between major industrial production centers in South India and consumer markets in the National Capital Region.

Speaking at the flag off ceremony, Mr. Somanna said, “The ‘Assured Transit Time’ container train service was started last year between Tughlakabad and Shalimar and was introduced for the first time in South India.”

He said the assured transit time would benefit industry and the manufacturing sector by providing greater certainty in the movement of goods. According to him, the planned service would help entrepreneurs improve inventory management, production planning and supply chain efficiency, thereby increasing the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.

“The service would not only benefit Bengaluru but also several large industrial and manufacturing clusters in the surrounding region. These include Hoskote, Whitefield, Malur, Tumakuru, Bommasandra, Electronic City, Jigani, Anekal, Attibele, Dabaspet, Devanahalli, Peenya, Nelamangala, Hirehalli, Kunigal, Vasantasaran and the Nasantapura service is expected to facilitate reliable services.” shifting products from these industrial clusters to markets in North India, reducing uncertainty in the movement of goods and helping industries plan their logistics operations more effectively,” he added.

Mr. Somanna also highlighted the industrial potential of Vasantha Narasapura in Tumakuru and termed it as one of the largest industrial areas in India. He said a large multimodal logistics park is being built there.

He further said that container train services would be started directly between Tumakuru and Tughlakabad after the completion of the container terminal at Thimmarajanahalli in Tumakuru district.

Published – 6 Sep 2026 0:37 AM IST