Indian Railways recorded its highest-ever freight loading for October, transporting 145.07 mn tonnes during the month compared with 133.93 mn tonnes in the same period last year. The increase represented growth of 8.32 per cent, according to the Ministry of Railways.

Several major commodity categories reported higher loading during the month. Food grains increased by 26.3 per cent, domestic coal by 16 per cent, Balance Other Goods by 11 per cent, clinker by 10.4 per cent and domestic containers by 6.3 per cent. Iron ore loading rose by 5 per cent, mineral oil by 1.9 per cent and finished steel by 0.5 per cent.

The ministry said the rail network increased domestic coal transportation to meet the requirements of power houses. Indian Railways supplied an average of 469.8 rakes per day during October 2026, compared with 393.2 rakes per day in October last year, representing growth of 19.5 per cent.

The October performance added to the railway’s freight growth during the first seven months of FY26-27, covering April to October. Freight loading during this period reached 978.78 mn tonnes, up from 935.10 mn tonnes in the corresponding period last year, an increase of 4.67 per cent.

Passenger traffic also increased during October. Indian Railways carried 647.2 mn passengers during the month, compared with 635.2 mn a year earlier. Between April and October, passenger traffic reached 4.44 bn, compared with 4.31 bn during the corresponding period last year. The Non-Suburban segment grew by 4.2 per cent, while the Suburban segment increased by 1.7 per cent.