Indian Railways’ freight loading in February 2023 logged the best-ever figures with a 3.55 pc surge

Indian Railways (IR) broke the record for the greatest February monthly freight loading in 2023, loading 124.03 million metric tonnes (MT) of freight. The incremental loading for February was 4.26 MT, an increase of 3.55 percent over the best February statistics previously recorded in 2022.

Indian Railways asserts that as a result, for a 30-month stretch, its monthly freight loading was at its highest level ever.

Official records from the Ministry of Railways show that IR added 3.18 MT in coal, 0.94 MT in fertilizers, 0.66 MT in the balance of other commodities, 0.28 MT in the port of loading (POL), and 0.27 MT in containers to its previous loadings.

In FY 2022–23 through February, 5,015 rakes have been loaded, up from 2,966 rakes during the same period last year, a 69% increase, according to the statement. Another notable aspect of the freight business in FY 2022–23, according to the statement, has been the rise in vehicle loading.

Up from 1278.84 MT in 2021–2022, the total volume of freight loaded between April 2022 and February 2023 was 1,367.49 MT. In comparison to the same time last year, this reflects an increase of 88.65 MT and a 6.93% increase.

The outcome was a 4.28 percent increase in freight net tonne kilometres (NTKMs), from 70 billion in February 2022 to 73 billion in February 2023. Overall, there were 82 billion freight NTKMs from April 2022 to February 2023, up from 74 billion—a 10.81% increase—during the same time last year.

Almost every commodity segment has grown under IR, according to data on commodity growth. For instance, one of the key elements of the freight performance in February was Indian Railways’ continued efforts to enhance the delivery of coal to powerhouses, which have been carried out in close conjunction with the ministries of coal and energy.

In January, power plants received 45.63 metric tonnes of coal (both locally generated and imported), up from 42.24 metric tonnes the previous month and an increase of 8.02%.

In comparison to the same period last year, IR loaded 15.44 percent more coal—over 79.69 MT more—to power plants in the first eleven months of this year.