Indian Railways has achieved a new milestone in its freight loading operations by recording the best ever monthly freight loading figure of 124.03 million tonnes (MT) in February 2023. This represents a growth of 3.55% over the previous best February figures achieved in 2022.
30 months of consecutive growth
The latest achievement means that Indian Railways has now recorded 30 straight months of best ever monthly freight loading, indicating the sustained efforts of the organization to improve its operations.
Key highlights of the February figures
According to the data released by the Indian Railways, the incremental loading in February was 4.26 MT, with an increase of 3.18 MT in coal, 0.94 MT in fertilizers, 0.66 MT in balance of other goods, 0.28 MT in POL, and 0.27 MT in containers.
Auto loading a significant contributor
The Indian Railways has also seen a significant increase in automobile loading, with 5,015 rakes being loaded in FY 2022-23 till February, compared to 2,966 rakes during the same period last year, representing a growth of 69%.
Cumulative figures also impressive
The cumulative freight loading from April 2022 to February 2023 has been 1,367.49 MT, compared to 1,278.84 MT achieved in 2021-22, with an incremental loading of 88.65 MT and a growth of 6.93% over the same period last year.
Freight NTKMs see growth too
The freight NTKMs (Net tonne kilometers) have also increased to 73 billion in February 2023 from 70 billion in February 2022, representing a growth of 4.28%. The cumulative freight NTKMs from April 2022 to February 2023 have been 82 billion, compared to 74 billion for the same period last year, with a growth of 10.81%.
Coal loading remains a priority
One of the key features of the freight performance in February was the sustained efforts of Indian Railways to increase the supply of coal to powerhouses, in close coordination with the Ministries of Power and Coal. In January, the loading of coal (both domestic and imported) to powerhouses increased by 3.39 MT, with 45.63 MT of coal being moved to powerhouses, representing a growth of 8.02% compared to last year. Cumulatively, in the first eleven months of the year, Indian Railways has loaded more than 79.69 MT extra coal to powerhouses, with a growth of more than 15.44%.
Commodity-wise growth numbers
The data also reveals that Indian Railways has achieved growth in almost all commodity segments, with the highest growth rate of 25% achieved in fertilizers. Coal, balance of other goods, POL, and containers have seen growth rates of 5.70%, 6.51%, 7.77%, and 4.32%, respectively.
Indian Railways’ latest freight loading figures indicate a continued upward trajectory in its operations, with sustained efforts to improve its services leading to impressive growth figures in the freight sector. The organization’s commitment to increasing the supply of coal to powerhouses has also played a crucial role in its success.
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