Indian Railways achieved the highest ever freight loading in January 2021. The Railways reached a figure of 119.79 MT and has broken its previous record of loading 119.74 MT of freight in March 2019.
Key Points
- The freight loading figures for Indian Railways have been surpassing the previous year figures for the last few months.
- As per the ministry, this year’s cumulative freight loading figure is expected to surpass the last year’s figure.
- As of February 8, Indian Railways loading was 30.54 million tonnes which include 4.15 MT of iron ore, 13.61 MT of coal, 1.03 MT of fertilizers, 04 MT of foodgrains, 1.97 MT of cement (excluding clinker), and 0.96 MT of mineral oil.
- Various discounts and concessions are also being given to make the railways’ freight movement very attractive.
- The Ministry of Railways also conducted meetings with top leaders in steel, iron, cement, coal, power, logistics service providers, and the automobile sector.
- Business development units at divisional and zonal levels have also been added.
- This achievement of freight loading has been reached in the time when most of the passenger segment of the Indian Railways is still recovering COVID-19 impact.
As per the latest data, both freight and passenger segments are now recovering. The freight increased by 9% in February 2020 in comparison to February 2020 while reserved passenger numbers rose by 19%.
