Indian Railways Sets New Freight Record in FY26 with 1.67 Billion Tonnes of Cargo

Indian Railways closed FY26 with a record 1,670 million tonnes of freight loading, marking a 3.25% increase over the previous year and extending the system’s run of all-time highs in cargo movement. The Ministry of Railways said the performance was backed by growth across key commodity segments and reflected rising reliance on rail for bulk logistics. Freight handling also improved operationally, with the number of wagons handled rising 4.56%, from 27.91 million in FY25 to 29.19 million in FY26.

The growth was driven in particular by strong movement of fertiliser and pig iron and finished steel, both of which recorded gains of over 13%, while iron ore traffic rose 6.74% and cement movement also increased. These numbers matter because they show that freight expansion is being supported not by a single cargo category alone, but by a wider industrial and agricultural demand base. That broad-based rise suggests railways are continuing to strengthen their role as a cost-effective transport backbone for core sectors of the economy.

The record comes even though the railways fell just short of the 1,700 million tonne target for the year, according to reporting by The Economic Times. Even so, the final tally reinforces the scale of the network’s freight engine and sets a higher base for the next fiscal year, with FY27 projections reportedly placed at 1,765 million tonnes. That forward target indicates that the government expects continued momentum in rail-led logistics, supported by infrastructure upgrades, higher wagon productivity, and stronger multimodal integration.

The ministry also paired the freight milestone with a broader traffic update, stating that Indian Railways carried 741 crore passengers in FY26, up 3.54% from the previous year, while passenger revenue rose 5.96% to around ₹80,000 crore. Taken together, the figures suggest that Indian Railways is not only carrying more cargo but also improving overall network utilisation across freight and passenger operations. In strategic terms, that strengthens railways’ position as one of the country’s most important economic arteries, linking industrial production, agricultural supply chains, and long-distance distribution at national scale.

Reference:

IBEF
https://www.ibef.org/news/indian-railways-reports-record-1-67-billion-tonne-freight-loading-in-fy26

PIB / Ministry of Railways
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2247768

The Economic Times
https://m.economictimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/railways-reports-1-67-billion-tonne-freight-loading-in-fy26/articleshow/129947715.cms

LiveMint
https://www.livemint.com/economy/indian-railways-freight-record-fy26-economic-expansion-logistics-network-efficiency-11775046673757.html