RailTrans Expo 2025: Efficiency In The Logistics Ecosystem

RailTrans Expo 2025 showcased India's mobility transformation through sustainable logistics, hyperloop development, modern rail infrastructure, and strategic public-private partnerships, aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 roadmap, writes Richa Tyagi.

- By Richa Tyagi

The 5th edition of RailTrans Expo 2025, India's premier exhibition and knowledge-sharing platform for railways, logistics, and urban mobility, was inaugurated at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The two-day event, organised by the Urban Infra Group in association with the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, is themed “Viksit Bharat 2047 – Transforming the Future of Rail and Mobility through Innovation.”

Financing the future

At RailTrans Expo 2025, experts actively explored sustainable, scalable, and innovative financing mechanisms to meet India's growing rail and mobility infrastructure needs. They focused on balancing public investment, encouraging private participation, and integrating climate-resilient funding as part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

The experts discussed key topics such as hybrid financing for rail and mobility, green bonds and ESG financing, and blended financing models that combine public support with private capital, including Viability Gap Funding and Multilateral Development Banks. They also examined Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), value capture. finance, institutional investments, sovereign wealth participation in mobility assets, and global best practices in infrastructure financing. Mitali Nikore, Founder of Nikore Associates and the session's moderator, noted, "What is really changing in the financing landscape is the shift towards leveraging private capital. The government is no longer taking sole responsibility for financing projects; it is ensuring that every rupee invested is accompanied by at least an equivalent or greater amount from the private sector. This shift demands a rethinking of how we structure public-private partnerships (PPP), which have become one of the most important instruments in advancing urban mobility, railways, and highways."