New Delhi, April 1 Indian Railways has recorded a robust 19.72 per cent growth in loading of domestic container freight to register an incremental loading of 1.68 per cent across all commodities in 2024-25, compared with the previous financial year.
During FY 2024-25, Indian Railways achieved 1,617.38 million tonnes (MT) of originating freight loading, as compared to 1,590.68 MT achieved during FY 2023-24, registering an incremental loading of 26.70 MT, according to a Railway Ministry statement issued on Tuesday.
Indian Railways is crucial for transporting bulk commodities which are essential for industry and energy – coal for power plants, iron ore and finished steel for manufacturing and construction, cement, food grains for national distribution, fertilisers for agriculture, and petroleum products.
Loading for domestic coal registered growth of 7.4 per cent, whereas loading for domestic containers recorded growth of 19.72 per cent. Gunny sacks, hot rolled coils, ceramic tiles, wall care putty, and rice are the five major commodities carried in domestic container traffic.
Loading for fertiliser recorded growth of 1.25 per cent, while petroleum oil and lubricants (POL) loading registered growth of 0.61 per cent.
In terms of loading achieved by Zonal Railways, Eastern Railway achieved the highest growth of 16.11 per cent. South East Central Railway (SECR) recorded a growth of 7.28 per cent while Northeast Frontier Railway posted an increase of 4.21 per cent in freight loading. Northern Railway achieved a growth of 3.89 per cent while East Central Railway clocked a 2.82 per cent increase.
Similarly, South Central Railway achieved a growth of 2.14 per cent while East Coast Railway recorded an increase of 1.19 per cent in freight operations. Southern Railway achieved growth of 0.80 per cent while South Eastern Railway posted 0.36 per cent rise.
Due to impressive loading of coal by Indian Railways, stock at power houses in India reached 57 MT, the official statement added.
For long distances and bulk goods, rail transport is more economical than road transport. This helps reduce overall logistics costs for businesses, making Indian goods more competitive domestically and internationally. Moreover, Railways link mines, factories, agricultural regions, and ports with markets across the country, enabling seamless supply chains.
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