New Delhi, 4 November 2026: Indian Railways continued its strong performance during October 2026, recording strong growth in freight traffic. The higher freight loading and increase in freight revenue reflect Indian Railways' efforts to support economic growth and strengthen the country's logistics sector.
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Strong growth recorded in freight loading
Indian Railways achieved its highest ever freight loading for October by transporting 145.07 million tonnes of freight during the month as compared to 133.93 million tonnes in October 2025, registering an increase of 8.32 percent.
Encouraging growth was recorded in many major commodities during the month. There was an increase of 26.3 percent in food grains loading, 16.0 percent in domestic coal, 11.0 percent in other goods, 10.4 percent in clinker, 6.3 percent in domestic containers, 5.0 percent in iron ore, 1.9 percent in mineral oil and 0.5 percent in finished steel.
To meet the increasing requirement of power houses, Indian Railways has increased the transportation of domestic coal with an average supply of 469.8 rakes per day during October 2026 as against 393.2 rakes per day in the same month last year, registering an increase of 19.5 percent.
This strong performance in October 2026 is based on the growth recorded during the first seven months (April-October) of the financial year 2026-27. During this period, Indian Railways loaded 978.78 million tonnes of freight as compared to 935.10 million tonnes during the same period last year, showing a growth of 4.67 percent.
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Continuous increase in passenger traffic
There was also a continuous increase in passenger mobility during October 2026. Indian Railways had provided transportation to 64.72 crore passengers as compared to 63.52 crore passengers during the same month last year.
During April-October 2026, Indian Railways transported 443.8 crore passengers compared to 431.4 crore during the same period last year. The non-suburban segment recorded a growth of 4.2 percent, while the suburban segment recorded a growth of 1.7 percent.
This growth in freight loading reflects Indian Railways' commitment to strengthening logistics and supporting India's economic growth. Through increased capacity and improved operational efficiency, Indian Railways continues to enhance its transportation network.