Higher coal, food grain and clinker movement lifts freight volumes as Railways targets 1,765 million tonnes of loading in FY27.
NEW DELHI: Indian Railways’ freight loading rose 6.14% year-on-year to 135.35 million tonnes in September, from 127.52 million tonnes a year earlier, driven by growth across several key commodity segments, according to data released by the ministry of railways on Tuesday.
Cumulative freight loading during April-September rose 4.1% year-on-year to 833.7 million tonnes. Freight revenue during the first half of the current financial year grew 3.7%, the ministry said.
Strong September growth
Several major commodity segments recorded strong growth in September. Foodgrain loading rose 25%, followed by clinker at 20%, domestic containers at 10%, coal at 9%, other goods at 8.2%, mineral oil at 6%, finished steel at 5.5% and iron ore at 5.2%.
Indian Railways also stepped up coal supplies to power plants during the month. The average number of coal rakes supplied per day rose 11.6% to 443 in September, from 397 a day a year earlier.
Freight revenue in September increased by ₹1,266 crore, or 9.3%, from the year-ago period.
The increase in freight movement comes as Indian Railways seeks to expand its share of India’s logistics market by improving last-mile connectivity and adding capacity for industrial cargo. Its share has fallen below 30%, and the national transporter aims to raise it to more than 45% over the next few years. The ministry attributed the latest growth to demand from sectors such as coal, steel and fertilisers, among other commodities.
Railways is counting on freight growth to bolster its revenue. For the current financial year, it aims to increase freight loading to 1,765 million tonnes, from an estimated 1,670-1,700 million tonnes in fiscal year 2026 (FY26). At the targeted level, freight revenue is projected to rise to ₹1.88 trillion, from about ₹1.78 trillion in FY26.
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Subhash Narayan
Subhash is the infrastructure editor at Mint and tracks the momentous developments taking place in the space that is fast changing the Indian landscape. He finds reporting to be a passion that provides the necessary adrenaline rush and keeps you going.