Railways clocks highest-ever freight loading of 119.79MT in January

The Railways’ freight load, for the last few months, has crossed last year’s for the same period. It is expected that the cumulative freight load this year will surpass last year’s freight loading figures, the ministry noted

Indian Railways registered its best ever freight load in a month, with 119.79MT in January 2021, surpassing its previous best of 119.74MT in March 2019, indicating an “economic upswing”, the ministry of railways said on Tuesday.

Representational image. (AFP)

The Railways’ freight load, for the last few months, has crossed last year’s for the same period. It is expected that the cumulative freight load this year will surpass last year’s freight loading figures, the ministry noted.

The national carrier had suspended the operations of regular passenger trains since March 25 last year; only special passenger trains have been plying since May 2020. Railways’ freight trains, however, have been operating since the lockdown.

As per the ministry’s data till Monday for February, 2021, Indian Railways’ load amount was 30.54 million tonnes, which includes 13.61 million tonnes of coal, 4.15 million tonnes of iron ore, 1.04 million tonnes of foodgrains, 1.03 million tonnes of fertilizers, 0.96 million tonnes of mineral oil and 1.97 million tonnes of cement (excluding clinker).

“Also, to attract new business and incentivise other existing clients, the ministry of railways has held meetings with top leadership of iron and steel, cement, power, coal, automobiles and logistics service providers. Also, business development units at zonal and divisional levels and the near-doubling of freight speed is contributing to sustainable growth momentum,” it added.