Indian Railways Introduces Scheduled Cargo Service Connecting Mumbai and the Northeast

Mumbai, 8 August 2026 — Indian Railways has introduced a scheduled weekly Rail cargo service between Mumbai and Guwahati, extending its Joint Parcel Product – Rapid Cargo Service [JPP-RCS] network to the Northeast and giving customers and transporters a fixed, time-tabled option for moving cargo between Western India and the region.

The service operates as Train No. 00113 BIRD–MRZA JPP-RCS, introduced by Central Railway with effect from 9 August 2026.

The train departs Bhiwandi Road every Sunday at 8:00 PM and reaches Mirza [Guwahati] on Wednesday morning, covering 2,573 kilometres in a scheduled running time of 58 hours, with electric traction end-to-end.

JPP-RCS is Indian Railways’ scheduled parcel-train framework, designed to strengthen time-tabled parcel movement and enable greater participation by the logistics ecosystem.

Under the policy, empanelled parcel aggregators can book parcel space online through the Railways’ Virtual Aggregation Platform [VAP], enabling scheduled Rail movement to be integrated with first-mile and last-mile logistics services.

The framework forms part of Indian Railways’ wider effort to move a greater share of long-distance freight by Rail.

MINT Logistics Private Limited, an empanelled aggregator under the JPP-RCS framework, will build its Mumbai–Guwahati Multimodal product on the new schedule.

The company will offer customers a 5-day door-to-door transit that combines the train’s fixed weekly departure with first-mile pickup, cargo consolidation, destination handling and last-mile road distribution across the Northeast.

The introduction of this scheduled JPP-RCS service by Indian Railways is an important development for cargo movement between Western India and the Northeast.

A fixed weekly Rail schedule gives logistics operators like us the ability to build a more predictable Multimodal product around the railway network.

Akshay Motihar, Director, MINT Logistics Private Limited

MINT Logistics plans to use the service for a broad range of Rail-suitable cargo, including FMCG, consumer products, industrial goods, lubricants and other packaged general cargo.

We are grateful to the Ministry of Railways, Railway Board, Central Railway and all the railway teams involved in introducing and operationalising this service.

Initiatives such as JPP-RCS are creating a stronger interface between Indian Railways and the logistics industry, allowing us to combine the efficiency of Rail with the flexibility of road transportation and provide an integrated service to our customers.

Akshay Motihar, Director, MINT Logistics Private Limited

The company’s Multimodal model is built around using Rail for long-distance trunk movement while retaining the flexibility of road transportation at origin and destination.

Customers can access the benefits of Rail without separately coordinating first-mile transportation, railway handling and destination delivery.

For businesses sending cargo to the Northeast, a fixed weekly departure brings predictability to supply-chain planning while reducing dependence on long-haul road transportation over one of India’s longest domestic corridors.

Supporting India’s Shift Towards Multimodal Logistics

The introduction of new scheduled Rail cargo products aligns with the Government of India’s broader push towards a more integrated and efficient Multimodal logistics ecosystem.

Through initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti, the National Logistics Policy, the National Rail Plan and Indian Railways’ freight reforms, the Government has placed increasing emphasis on Multimodal connectivity, stronger first-mile and last-mile infrastructure and a larger role for Rail in long-distance freight transportation.

The National Rail Plan envisages increasing the Railways’ modal share of freight traffic to 45% by 2030.

This policy direction closely complements MINT Logistics’ operating model: aggregating cargo at origin, using Rail for long-distance trunk movement wherever operationally suitable, and using road transportation for first-mile and last-mile connectivity.

An Expanding Rail-Led Multimodal Network

The new Mumbai–Guwahati schedule adds to MINT Logistics’ broader strategy of building cargo products around scheduled and regular Rail services, supported by an integrated road distribution network.

The company currently operates across key corridors including:

• MumbaiGuwahati Northeast India
• GujaratGuwahati Northeast India
• MumbaiKolkata
• SuratKolkata
• MumbaiPatna
• SuratPatna

The new service strengthens scheduled Rail cargo connectivity to the Guwahati region, which serves as MINT Logistics’ gateway for onward distribution across Northeast India. This allows customers to work with a single Multimodal logistics provider for the entire movement.

The company intends to continue building services on Rail-led corridors where scheduled trains can provide customers with a reliable alternative for long-distance domestic cargo movement.