NEW DELHI: Indian Railways has crossed the one-billion-tonne mark in freight movement, recording around 1,020 million tonnes in the 2025–26 financial year as of 19 November. The achievement marks a major milestone in the railway’s freight operations, reflecting its growing contribution to India’s economic development.

“This milestone reflects broad-based support from key sectors: coal remains the largest contributor at 505 MT, followed by iron ore (115 MT), cement (92 MT), container traffic (59 MT), pig iron and finished steel (47 MT), fertilisers (42 MT), mineral oil (32 MT), food grains (30 MT), raw materials for steel plants (approx. 20 MT), and other goods (74 MT),” the Ministry of Railways said on Saturday.

The ministry added that daily loading continues to remain strong at around 4.4 MT, up from 4.2 MT last year, indicating improved operational efficiency and sustained demand. Official sources told this newspaper that freight loading between April and October underscores this positive trajectory, reaching 935.1 MT in 2025 compared to 906.9 MT in the same period last year, marking healthy year-on-year growth.