New Delhi witnessed a robust start to the year for Indian Railways’ freight operations as revenue from goods transport surged nearly 3% in February. Clocking in at ₹14,571.99 crore, this marks a significant jump from ₹14,151.96 crore recorded in the same month last year. Government data released on Friday paints a picture of steady growth amid economic recovery.
Freight loading volumes also climbed impressively, rising 3.96% to 137.72 million tonnes (MT) from 132.48 MT a year ago. This uptick is reflected in the transport output, measured in Net Tonne Kilometres (NTKM), which grew 4.18% to 76,007 million NTKM compared to 72,955 million NTKM previously.
Key commodities drove this performance. Coal, iron ore, finished steel, fertilizers, cement, and container cargo led the charge. Daily loading for iron ore shot up 27.6% to 0.675 MT from 0.529 MT. Finished steel and raw iron loadings increased 20.8% to 0.343 MT, while supplies to steel plants (excluding iron ore) jumped 46.9% to 0.141 MT.
Fertilizer loading rose 10.2% to 0.184 MT, and mineral oils alongside container EXIM traffic saw a 17.8% boost. Cumulative monthly data shows sustained strength across major goods categories.
Container traffic shone too, with imported freight up 5.6% and domestic volumes growing 2.3%. For the April 2025-February 2026 period, total freight handled reached 1,503.8 MT, a 3.28% increase from 1,456.07 MT last year. Revenue for this span hit ₹1.61 lakh crore, with NTKM expanding 1.62% to 840,000 million.
This growth underscores Indian Railways’ pivotal role in the nation’s logistics backbone, supporting industries and trade even as infrastructure upgrades continue. Analysts see this as a positive signal for FY26 freight targets.