Indian Railways Reports Record October Freight Earnings at Rs 14,216.4 Crore

The Indian Railways achieved a significant milestone in October 2025, reporting a 2.3% year-on-year increase in freight loading, totaling 133.9 million tonnes (mt). This rise was accompanied by record monthly freight earnings, which reached an unprecedented Rs 14,216.4 crore.

A closer look at the figures reveals that key categories contributed to this growth. Pig Iron and Finished Steel saw an impressive increase of 18.4%, while Iron Ore grew by 4.8%. The Fertilizers sector experienced a remarkable 27.8% rise, and Containers rose by 5.7%. In contrast, coal loading decreased by 2.5% to 65.9 mt during October, although it remained 0.2% higher at 462.8 mt for the current fiscal year. Cumulatively, freight loading increased by 3.1% to 935.1 million tonnes, generating earnings of Rs 1,00,920 crore for the national transporter.

Innovative Cargo Services Enhance Efficiency

A senior official from Indian Railways highlighted that the growth in containers and other goods indicates a healthy diversification of railway freight traffic. In September, Indian Railways introduced scheduled, commodity-specific, time-tabled cargo services designed to better connect production and consumption centers across North India.

Among these new services is the Annapurna Service, which transports food grains from Ludhiana to Varanasi over a distance of 704 kilometres in an average of 17 hours. The Gati-Vahan Service, facilitating automobile transport from Farrukhnagar (Haryana) to Lucknow, covers 557 km in just 28 hours, a significant reduction from the previous 70-hour transit time. Another notable service is the Niryaat Cargo Service, which runs from Garhi to Mundra Port for containers, completing the 1,061 km journey in 32 hours. Additionally, the Anantnag Cement Cargo Service transports cement over 586 km in 31 hours.

These initiatives emerged through discussions with various freight stakeholders, including the Food Corporation of India, automobile operators, and container train operators. An official statement noted that these initially trial services have now stabilized and are functioning efficiently.

Future Developments for Containerized Cargo

In a further effort to enhance the delivery of containerized cargo, Indian Railways has permitted select container train operators to adhere to a fixed schedule. Discussions are underway with private container train operators regarding a scheduled export-import (EXIM) service from the Tughlakabad Inland Container Depot (ICD) to Adani Mundra Port.

Additionally, a new service from Tughlakabad ICD to Kolkata, via Agra and Kanpur, initiated by the Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), began operations on October 1. These developments indicate a proactive approach by Indian Railways to meet the increasing demands of freight transportation and to enhance operational efficiency across its network.