Indian Railways Powers Ahead: Freight Loading Hits New Heights in FY25

Indian Railways has registered a modest 1.68% freight loading growth in the fiscal year 2024–25, carrying 1,617.38 million tonnes (MT) of goods against 1,590.68 MT in the last year. This marginal rise of 26.7 MT is a slowdown from the 5.4% growth seen in FY24.

Key Highlights:
Coal Rules the Freight: Over 51% of total loading freight was dedicated to coal movement, with an increase in domestic coal loading by 7.4%. This helped achieve an all-time high stock of coal at power stations of 57 MT, which was a rise of 21% compared to the previous year.

Container Rise: Domestic container loading registered a whopping growth of 19.72% through commodities like gunny sacks, hot rolled coils, ceramic tiles, wall care putty, and rice.

Regional Performance: Eastern Railway topped the chart with a stellar 16.11% freight loading growth, followed by South East Central Railway at 7.28%, and Northeast Frontier Railway at 4.21%.

Other Commodities: Fertilizer loading increased by 1.25%, while petroleum oil and lubricants saw a modest growth of 0.61%.

Future Targets: Indian Railways targets freight loading of 3,000 MT by 2027 under its Mission 3000 MT program.

Even as it grows at a slower rate, Indian Railways remains at the center of keeping logistics costs down and serving industries with affordable bulk transportation options.

Sources: Financial Express, Business Upturn, Devdiscourse