Indian Railways freight is up 4.2 percent in Nov 2025 (135.7MT). Cumulative loading hit 1,070.8MT, boosting the $5T economy push.
As India advances towards its aim of being a $5 trillion economy, the requirement for efficient, dependable, and scalable logistics remains fundamental to this path. One of the most important economic conduits in the country, Indian Railways is becoming more and more important by transporting people and commodities on a never-before-seen scale, lowering the cost of transportation, and facilitating the faster and more sustainable growth of companies. At the same time, Indian Railways is addressing the mobility needs of a huge and increasing population, carrying over two crore people every day, so reinforcing the backbone of India’s transport ecosystem.
On a total basis up to November 2025, goods loading has climbed by 3.3 percent to 1,070.8 million tonnes. This milestone is particularly remarkable given that the Indian Railways has handled more freight in just eight months of FY 2025–26 than it did in the entire year of 2013–14, when total loading amounted to 1,055 million tonnes.
A more sustainable and economical logistics environment is being created, industrial supply chains are being strengthened, and both domestic and international trade are being supported. With rail transport costing nearly half as much as road transport, the impact of this cost advantage is further amplified, creating huge savings for businesses and contributing to broader economic gains.
The advantages of moving more bulk items to rail go far beyond improved commercial performance. In addition to lowering carbon emissions and clearing traffic on highways, rail transport provides MSMEs and other industries with a more dependable and environmentally friendly logistics option. By linking freight operations with the country’s Net Zero Carbon Emission targets and further establishing Indian Railways as a major force behind both economic and environmental advancement, this change strengthens India’s commitment to sustainable growth.
In November 2025, Indian Railways had a goods loading of 135.7 million tonnes, marking a 4.2 percent increase over 130.2 million tonnes in the same month last year.
Significant increases in the transportation of important commodity categories, such as pig iron and finished steel (16 percent), iron ore (9.7 percent), fertilisers (10.6 percent), containers (6.8 percent), and balance other goods (23.6 percent), have been the main drivers of the expansion, indicating a healthy diversification in freight traffic.
SOURCE – PIB
