Indian Railways freight loading rises 4% in June, 1.5% in Q1 FY27

Freight loading reached 142 million tonnes in June, led by coal and fertiliser, while passenger traffic also recorded steady growth during the month

Freight loading on Indian Railways grew 4 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in June to 142 million tonnes (mt), led by higher volumes of coal and miscellaneous goods. However, the national transporter's freight loading in the April-June quarter grew 1.46 per cent, according to officials.

 

In the first three months of FY27, the national transporter carried 419 mt of goods.

 

Within the commodity mix, imported coal cargo declined around 5 per cent to 8.2 mt. With higher coal demand from thermal power plants due to the extended summer season, Indian Railways increased domestic coal supplies to power plants by 7 per cent in June compared with the corresponding month last year, a Railways official said.

   

Fertiliser cargo grew 19.1 per cent, miscellaneous goods 17.4 per cent, iron ore 9.4 per cent, coal 3.6 per cent, and steel 2.5 per cent. Cement, containers and foodgrain volumes declined on a Y-o-Y basis in June.

 

The increase in freight loading generated incremental revenue of ₹430 crore in June over the corresponding month last year, representing growth of 3 per cent.

 

The Railways has set an ambitious target of increasing freight loading to 3,000 mt by 2031.

 

According to ministry estimates, Indian Railways carried 638 million passengers in June, compared with 623 million in the same month last year. "There has been 3.9 per cent growth in the number of passengers in non-suburban, that is, short- and long-distance travel (300 million compared with 289 million in June last year)," an official said.

 

Suburban passenger traffic grew 0.9 per cent.