NEW DELHI, November 4: Indian Railways recorded freight loading of 145.07 million tonnes in October 2026, an increase of 8.32 per cent over 133.93 million tonnes in the corresponding month last year, according to official data released on Wednesday.
The loading figure was the highest-ever recorded for October, with growth across several major commodity segments, including food grains, domestic coal, clinker, iron ore and container traffic.
Food grain loading registered a growth of 26.3 per cent, while domestic coal increased by 16 per cent and other goods by 11 per cent. Clinker loading grew 10.4 per cent, domestic containers 6.3 per cent, iron ore 5 per cent, mineral oil 1.9 per cent and finished steel 0.5 per cent.
To meet the increased demand from power plants, Indian Railways transported an average of 469.8 rakes of domestic coal daily during October, compared with 393.2 rakes in October 2025, registering a growth of 19.5 per cent.
Freight loading during April–October 2026 also surpassed the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Indian Railways transported 978.78 million tonnes during the first seven months of FY 2026-27, against 935.10 million tonnes in April–October 2025, marking an increase of 4.67 per cent.
Passenger traffic registered an increase during October, with Indian Railways carrying 64.72 crore passengers compared with 63.52 crore in the corresponding month last year.
During April–October 2026, passenger numbers reached 443.8 crore, up from 431.4 crore during the same period in 2025.
The non-suburban segment recorded growth of 4.2 per cent, while suburban passenger traffic increased by 1.7 per cent.
Indian Railways said the growth in freight and passenger traffic reflected efforts to strengthen logistics, improve operational efficiency and expand transportation capacity. (PIB)
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