IRFC, a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise and the dedicated financing arm of the Ministry of Railways, said the agreement is aimed at jointly exploring structured financing solutions for port-led and connectivity projects aligned with the Sagarmala Programme and the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
The MoU was signed at Transport Bhawan in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, and Minister of State Shantanu Thakur, underlining the government’s focus on integrated transport and logistics infrastructure.
The agreement was signed by Manoj Kumar Dubey, Chairman and Managing Director of IRFC, Susanta Kumar Purohit, Chairperson of VOCPA, and LVS Sudhakar Babu, Managing Director of SMFC.
Under the collaboration, the three entities will work together to structure financing for the Outer Harbour project at V.O. Chidambaranar Port, along with other port-led and multimodal connectivity projects. The initiative seeks to improve logistics efficiency and strengthen India’s transport infrastructure ecosystem through coordinated development across rail, ports and maritime sectors.
Commenting on the development, IRFC CMD Manoj Kumar Dubey said the partnership reflects IRFC’s strategic shift towards becoming a diversified national infrastructure financier, while continuing to keep railways at the centre of India’s logistics transformation. He highlighted the importance of integrated financing across railways, ports, logistics corridors and multimodal networks to support India’s trade growth and economic expansion.
