Indian Railways records a 2.3% YoY rise in October freight to 133.9 MT, hitting the highest-ever earnings of ₹14,216.4 crore.
In yet another strong performance, the Indian Railways continued its record-breaking freight momentum in October 2025, registering a 2.3% year-on-year increase with 133.9 million tonnes (MT) of cargo hauled. Officials confirmed that monthly freight earnings also touched their highest-ever figure at ₹14,216.4 crore, reinforcing rail’s growing role in India’s logistics economy.
The surge has been powered by robust growth across key commodities:
- Pig Iron & Finished Steel: up 18.4%
- Iron Ore: up 4.8%
- Fertilizers: up 27.8%
- Containers: up 5.7%
- Balance Other Goods: up 10.8%
Although coal loading dipped 2.5% to 65.9 MT in October, cumulative loading for the fiscal year still remains 0.2% higher at 462.8 MT. Overall cumulative freight loading reached 935.1 MT, translating to ₹1,00,920 crore in revenue for the national transporter.
A senior official noted that growth in container volumes and diversified cargo categories point to a healthier freight mix, reducing dependency on bulk commodities like coal.
To further improve efficiency and market responsiveness, Indian Railways recently rolled out scheduled, commodity-specific, timetabled cargo services across North India. These trains are designed to tighten delivery windows between production centres and demand hubs.
Among the newly launched services:
- Annapurna Service (Ludhiana–Varanasi): 704 km in 17 hours, moving food grains
- Gati-Vahan Service (Farrukhnagar–Lucknow): 557 km in 28 hours for automobiles, down from 70 hours earlier
- Niryaat Cargo Service (Garhi–Mundra Port): 1,061 km in 32 hours for container cargo
- Anantnag Cement Cargo (Roopnagar–Anantnag): 586 km in 31 hours
These services were designed after extensive consultations with Food Corporation of India, automobile operators, container train companies, and neighbouring railway zones. Initially launched on a trial basis, officials say they have now stabilised and are running efficiently.
In a strategic shift toward reliable, time-bound logistics, Indian Railways has also allowed select container train operators to run fixed-schedule services. Discussions are underway to launch a dedicated EXIM corridor from Tughlakabad Inland Container Depot to Adani Mundra Port.
Meanwhile, from October 1, Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) began operating a scheduled service from Tughlakabad ICD to Kolkata, via Agra and Kanpur, boosting port connectivity for eastern trade flows.
As India’s export ecosystem expands, railway-driven logistics continue to gain speed, signalling sharper delivery timelines, diversified cargo capability, and a modernised national freight network.
Source: ET Infra
