New Delhi, Oct 14: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a productivity-linked bonus (PLB) for 78 days, amounting to Rs 2,009.61 crore, to 11,40,770 railway employees. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days, in recognition of the excellent performance by the Railway staff.
The amount will be paid to various staff categories, like track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, points men, ministerial staff, and other Group ‘C staff. According to the Cabinet, the PLB payment to eligible railway employees is made each year before the Durga Puja/Dusshera holidays.
“This year also, PLB amount equivalent to 78 days’ wages is being paid to about 11.40 lakh non-gazetted Railway employees. The payment of PLB acts as an incentive to motivate the railway employees for working towards improvement in the performance of the Railways,” the statement added.
In FY26, Railways loaded a record cargo of 1,670 million tonnes and carried nearly 7.41 billion passengers. Indian Railways recorded a 5.4 per cent year-on-year increase in freight loading in August 2026, while passenger traffic also grew during the month, reflecting sustained demand for rail-based transportation across the country.
The national transporter loaded 137.9 million tonnes of freight in August 2026, compared with 130.9 million tonnes in the same month last year. Freight revenue also increased by 6.27 per cent year-on-year during the month. The increase in freight movement is expected to strengthen rail-based supply chains for industries and improve the movement of essential commodities, raw materials, and finished goods across regions.
The railway network also expanded its freight-handling infrastructure during the month with the commissioning of five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs). The new terminals are located at Shivlakha in Gujarat, Nalli in Tamil Nadu, Shaktinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Deoragram in Madhya Pradesh, and Brajrajnagar in Odisha.
The cumulative number of commissioned Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals reached 149 as of August 31, 2026. On the passenger side, Indian Railways carried 67.27 crore passengers in August 2026, compared with 64.43 crore in August 2025.
IANS