Indian Railways achieves the highest ever freight loading in January 2021

In a notable development, Indian Railways achieved its highest ever freight loading of 119.79 mt in January 2021, surpassing its previous record of 119.74 mt in March 2019. Indian Railways’ freight loading for the past few months has been surpassing 2019-20 figures for the corresponding months. The cumulative freight loading in 2020-21 is expected to surpass the previous year’s freight loading figures. In February 2021 (till February 8, 2021), Indian Railways’ freight loading stood at 30.54 mt. This includes 13.61 mt coal, 4.15 mt iron ore, 1.04 mt foodgrains, 1.03 mt fertilisers, 0.96 mt mineral oil, 1.97 mt cement (excluding clinker) and 7.78 mt other material. Freight and passenger segments have reportedly started showing signs of recovery. In February 2021, reserved passenger numbers increased by 19 per cent, while freight has increased by 9 per cent as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.