Railways logs record freight loading in Oct

New Delhi: Indian Railways achieved its highest-ever freight loading for October, transporting 145.07 million tonnes of freight during the month, compared to 133.93 million tonnes in the same period last year, marking a growth of 8.32 per cent, the ministry said on Wednesday.The ministry said that several major commodities registered encouraging growth during the month, with food grains loading increasing 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.Also Read: NCRTC to run 20 additional Namo Bharat Trips from November 4 amid rising pollution"To meet the increased requirement of power houses, Indian Railways stepped up domestic coal transportation, supplying an average of 469.8 rakes per day during October 2026, compared to 393.2 rakes per day in the corresponding month last year, registering a growth of 19.5 per cent," a press note from the Railway Ministry added.It further claimed that the strong performance in October 2026 builds upon the growth recorded during the first seven months of FY 2026-27 (April-October).Also Read: Pune Metro gets Pink Line as Modi lays foundation for four new corridors worth Rs 13,500 crore"During this period, Indian Railways loaded 978.78 million tonnes of freight, compared to 935.10 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year, registering a growth of 4.67 per cent," it said.Speaking on passenger traffic, the ministry said that it also witnessed steady growth during October as Indian Railways carried 64.72 crore passengers, compared to 63.52 crore passengers during the corresponding month last year.According to officials, during April-October this year, Indian Railways carried 443.8 crore passengers, compared to 431.4 crore during the corresponding period last year. The Non-Suburban segment recorded growth of 4.2 per cent, while the Suburban segment registered an increase of 1.7 per cent.