India’s inland waterways sector has achieved a historic milestone, with cargo transportation on National Waterways reaching 145.84 million metric tonnes in FY 2024-25. This figure ranks India’s waterways among the most commercially active in Asia, showcasing the impact of years of investment in fleet expansion and infrastructure development under the National Waterways Act of 2016. The trend continues upward, as cargo movement in the first eleven months of FY 2026 reached 198 million metric tonnes.
Passenger traffic has also seen remarkable growth, surging to 76 million journeys in FY 2024-25, up from 16.1 million the previous year. This increase is attributed to new passenger vessel services and the rising preference for water transport in urban coastal and riverine cities such as Kochi and Kolkata. Currently, India operates 32 waterways spanning 5,155 kilometers, with plans to expand to 52 waterways in the next five years.
Key factors driving cargo growth include the deepening of the Ganga Waterway, the establishment of new terminal infrastructure, and enhanced multimodal integration. Recent logistical advancements, such as midstream container transfers, signal strides in sea-river interoperability that bolster the commercial competitiveness of waterway transport. With ongoing challenges in global supply chains, India’s waterways present a reliable alternative for moving goods across the country.
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