Pariksha SaathiIndian Railways registers its highest-ever October freight loading: 145.07 million tonnes in October 2026
Indian Railways achieved its highest-ever freight loading for October, transporting 145.07 million tonnes of freight in October 2026 compared to 133.93 million tonnes in October 2025, a growth of 8.32 per cent, the Ministry of Railways said on 4 November 2026. Among the major commodities, loading of food grains increased by 26.3 per cent, domestic coal by 16.0 per cent, balance other goods by 11.0 per cent, clinker by 10.4 per cent, domestic containers by 6.3 per cent, iron ore by 5.0 per cent, mineral oil by 1.9 per cent and finished steel by 0.5 per cent. To meet the increased requirement of power houses, the Railways stepped up domestic coal transportation, supplying an average of 469.8 rakes per day in October 2026 compared to 393.2 rakes per day in the corresponding month last year, a growth of 19.5 per cent. During the first seven months of FY 2026-27 (April-October), Indian Railways loaded 978.78 million tonnes of freight, compared to 935.10 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year, a growth of 4.67 per cent. Passenger traffic also grew: the Railways carried 64.72 crore passengers in October 2026 against 63.52 crore in the corresponding month last year, and 443.8 crore passengers in April-October 2026 against 431.4 crore in the corresponding period last year, with growth of 4.2 per cent in the non-suburban segment and 1.7 per cent in the suburban segment. The Ministry said the growth in freight loading reflects Indian Railways' commitment to strengthening logistics and supporting India's economic growth.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 1 April 2026 the Ministry of Railways reported that Indian Railways had carried a record 1670 million tonnes (MT) of freight in 2025-26, a growth of 3.25% over the previous year, while the number of wagons handled rose by 4.56%, from 2,79,12,271 in 2024-25 to 2,91,86,475 in 2025-26. The growth was largely driven by Fertilisers (13.49%) and 'Pig Iron and Steel' (13.11%); Iron Ore transportation increased by 6.74% to 190.12 MT and Cement loading by 4.74% to 157.17 MT. Among the zones, South Western Railway recorded the highest increase in loading, 14.89%, and North Central Railway (12.62%), East Coast Railway (10.42%) and West Central Railway (10.06%) also registered double-digit growth. Freight earnings reached approximately Rs 1,77,754 crore in 2025-26, a 1.44% increase over Rs 1,75,302 crore in 2024-25, with Iron Ore the highest revenue contributor (Rs 14,600.51 crore). On the passenger side, the number of passengers carried rose to 741 crore in 2025-26, a 3.54% increase over 716 crore in 2024-25.
Check yourself: how much freight did Indian Railways carry in 2025-26, and which zone recorded the highest increase in freight loading that year?
A record 1670 million tonnes (3.25% more than the previous year); South Western Railway (14.89%).
Revision task: from this release, note the October 2026 loading and the October 2025 figure it is compared with, the growth of each commodity listed, the coal rakes supplied per day to power houses, the April-October totals for both years and the passenger figures; from the note, the freight carried in 2025-26 and its growth, the two commodities that drove it, the zone with the highest increase and the freight earnings. Do not work out growth rates that the releases do not state.
Test yourself
According to the Ministry of Railways (4 November 2026), how much freight did Indian Railways load in October 2026, its highest-ever freight loading for the month of October?
Show the answer
Answer: 145.07 million tonnes
Indian Railways transported 145.07 million tonnes of freight in October 2026, compared to 133.93 million tonnes in October 2025, a growth of 8.32 per cent. The figures 978.78 and 935.10 million tonnes are the freight loaded in April-October 2026 and in the corresponding period last year.
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