Indian Railways records highest freight loading of 145.07 million tonnes in October 2026

Indian Railways has set a record for the highest-ever freight loading with robust growth in freight transport during October 2026. According to a PIB report, the Railways loaded 145.07 million tonnes of freight during this month. In October 2025, this figure was 133.93 million tonnes, representing an 8.32 per cent increase compared to this year.

Significant growth has been observed across various types of freight. Compared to October 2025, foodgrain loading increased by 26.3 per cent in October 2026. Additionally, increases were recorded in the transport of domestic coal by 16.0 per cent, other commodities by 11.0 per cent, clinker by 10.4 per cent, domestic containers by 6.3 per cent, iron ore by 5.0 per cent, mineral oil by 1.9 per cent, and finished steel by 0.5 per cent.

To meet the increasing demands of power houses, Indian Railways has increased the supply of domestic coal. During October 2026, an average daily supply of 469.8 rakes was provided, compared to 393.2 rakes per day in the same month last year. This coal supply has seen an increase of 19.5 per cent.

The performance of the Railways has also remained strong during the first seven months of the financial year 2026-27 (April to October 2026). During this period, a total of 978.78 million tonnes of freight was loaded, showing a 4.67 per cent growth compared to 935.10 million tonnes in the same period last year.

Alongside freight, a continuous increase in the number of passengers has also been observed. During October 2026, Indian Railways provided transport to 64.72 crore passengers, which is higher than the 63.52 crore passengers in the same month last year. During the period from April to October 2026, a total of 443.8 crore passengers travelled, which is more compared to 431.4 crore last year. During this period, an increase of 4.2 per cent in the non-suburban segment and 1.7 per cent in the suburban segment was recorded.

This increase in high freight loading and freight revenue reflects efforts to strengthen the country's logistics sector and support economic growth. By increasing capacity and improving efficiency, the Railways is expanding its transport network.

Indian Railways is the country's primary transport system that provides services via rail routes to move freight and passengers across the country.