Transport Services Market 2026: Where Momentum Is Building

Transport Services Market: 4 Regions Gaining Momentum

Last week, a single ship showed how quickly trade routes are changing. On September 25, Kerala's Vizhinjam port reported moving 17,262 TEU on one call of the MSC Loreto, among the highest-volume vessel calls at any Indian port. Two weeks earlier, India's Western Dedicated Freight Corridor set a daily record of 431 trains. Cognitive Market Research values the transport services market at USD 10.00 trillion in 2026, and much of its new energy is coming from outside the traditional hubs. Our analysis looks at four regions, in no particular order, and what their momentum means for manufacturers and buyers.

How big is the transport services market in 2026?

Cognitive Market Research expects the market to reach USD 15.94 trillion by 2032, a CAGR of 8.11%. It covers four main modes: roads, railways, air and maritime shipping.

Our research traces this growth to four drivers:

• Cross-border e-commerce
• Infrastructure modernisation
• Digital freight matching
• Green logistics mandates

Infrastructure is where emerging regions are moving fastest

Which regions are building momentum in transport services?

India: freight rail and deep-water ports

India is building momentum on two fronts at once.

Rail. On March 31, 2026, trial runs on the final section of the Western corridor marked completion of the entire Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project. Traffic on the two corridors averaged 435.5 trains a day in April–August 2026, up almost 13% on a year earlier.

Ports. Vizhinjam, India's new deep-water transshipment port, is adding scale quickly

We estimate India's transport services market at USD 510 billion in 2026.

Mexico: logistics linked to nearshoring

Mexico is carving out a niche as a logistics partner for manufacturers moving production closer to North American customers:

The country attracted a record US$40.87 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, with manufacturing taking about 37% of it.
The Mexican Association of Industrial Parks expects 477 parks to be operating in 2026, with more than 100 others under construction.
Industrial park investment is projected to grow 36.6% to $5.83 billion in 2026.

Saudi Arabia: port hubs on the Red Sea and the Gulf

Saudi Arabia brings distinctive strength in geography, with ports on two coasts:

Ports supervised by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) handled 20.89% more containers in February 2026 than a year earlier, and transshipment volumes rose 28.09%.
DP World's South Container Terminal at Jeddah handled more than 221,200 TEU in July 2026, its highest monthly total since 1999. First-half volumes rose nearly 79%.
Saudi Arabia Railways has also launched five new freight corridors linking the west and east coasts.

Vietnam: a transshipment port build-out

Vietnam is building momentum in deep-water capacity. Construction of the roughly USD 5 billion Can Gio International Transshipment Port in Ho Chi Minh City began on April 30, 2026. The port targets a capacity of 4.8 million TEU by 2030, rising to 16.9 million TEU by 2047.

It is being developed by a consortium of:

• Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC)
• Saigon Port
• Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), MSC's terminal arm

Stat callout: The Dedicated Freight Corridors make up about 4% of India's rail network but carry more than 14% of its rail freight.

How did Vizhinjam build its place on the shipping map?

The starting point. Vizhinjam began operations on December 3, 2024. Its designed capacity was 1.6 million TEU a year. Its early role was purely transshipment: moving containers between ships, with no direct link to Indian importers or exporters.

The turning move. In 2026, the port broadened its role in two ways:

• A partnership. On June 30, operator Adani Ports signed an agreement to sell a 49% stake in the port company to TiL for US$1.397 billion.
• A new line of business. On August 18, the first export container, carrying Kerala food products, left for Valencia. This launched full export-import operations.

The result. By the end of July 2026, the port had handled 1,057 vessels and 2.24 million TEU, already more than its original annual design capacity. The September MSC Loreto call is the latest milestone.

In our reading, a deep-water site paired with anchor shipping-line partners gave Vizhinjam a fast path from new entrant to working hub.

How do these regions compete and complement each other?

Our analysis points to a healthy, multi-polar market in which each region fills a different gap:

• India adds high-capacity inland rail alongside new port capacity.
• Mexico offers manufacturing-linked logistics close to North American demand.
• Saudi Arabia connects Asia, Europe and Africa through ports on two coasts.
• Vietnam is adding transshipment capacity for Southeast Asian trade.

Many of these routes also connect with one another. MSC-linked capital is involved in both Vizhinjam and Can Gio, which shows how global carriers are spreading capacity across several new hubs. Established logistics centres in North America, Europe and East Asia remain essential partners for technology, capital and demand.

What does the transport services market shift mean for manufacturers and buyers?

For manufacturers:

• Map new corridors early. Faster, more reliable freight rail changes where plants and warehouses make sense.
• Consider building near hubs that are adding capacity, such as industrial parks in Mexico or logistics zones in Saudi ports.
• Spread shipments across more than one port or route to build resilience.

For buyers and shippers:

• More gateways mean more choice in routing and carriers.
• Compare transit time, cost and reliability across new port and rail options.
• Use real-time tracking to get full value from faster corridors.

How we researched this
We started with Cognitive Market Research's transport services industry model, which provides the market size, CAGR and country estimates. We then reviewed official releases from DFCCIL, the Saudi Press Agency and Mexico's government investment portal, along with port operator announcements and trade press from March to September 2026. Every figure is linked to a named source. Regions were chosen on evidence of recent momentum, not on size.

Conclusion: what comes next

The transport services market is expanding along many corridors at once: freight rail and new ports in India, nearshoring-linked logistics in Mexico, two-coast port hubs in Saudi Arabia, and transshipment capacity in Vietnam. Manufacturers that plan around these routes early gain flexibility. Buyers gain more choice and resilience.

Manufacturers, logistics providers and buyers: explore the full Cognitive Market Research Transport Services report for country-level sizing, segment forecasts and partnership opportunities.