Indian Railways reports record freight loading in FY25

Indian Railways’ freight transportation stood at 1,617.38 million tonnes (mt) for FY25, a 1.68 per cent increase compared to last year’s 1,590.68 mt.

The surge in loading has also boosted earnings, with the railways raking in ₹1,75,302.37 crore, or a 1.76 per cent improvement over the previous year’s ₹1,72,269.83 crore, , it said in a statement.

Coal remains the backbone of the railways’ freight operations, contributing 723.85 mt, followed by imported coal (98.933 mt).

Iron ore loading reached 178.121 mt, while cement (excluding clinker) and clinker recorded 86.708 mt and 62.635 mt, respectively.

Other key commodities include food grains (49.77 mt), fertilizers (59.92 mt), and mineral oil (50.798 mt).

Container traffic also showed strength, with domestic containers at 24.70 mt and export-import (EXIM) containers at 64.03 mt. Miscellaneous goods accounted for 120.425 mt, the statement added.