Indian Railways Moves Record 145.07 Million Tonnes of Freight in October 2026; Passenger Numbers Also Rise
New Delhi | November 4, 2026 | IBG NEWS
Indian Railways has achieved a significant milestone in its freight transportation operations, handling 145.07 million tonnes of goods in October 2026. This is the highest October freight-loading figure recorded by the national transporter and represents an 8.32% increase over the 133.93 million tonnes carried during October 2025.
The latest performance reflects growing demand for rail-based transportation across agricultural, industrial and energy sectors. Increased commodity movement, particularly food grains and domestic coal, contributed substantially to the monthly achievement.
Agricultural and Industrial Cargo Lead the Growth
Food grain transportation recorded the strongest growth among the major commodity categories, increasing by 26.3% compared with October last year.
Domestic coal movement expanded by 16%, while other goods registered an 11% increase. Several additional commodity segments also reported positive year-on-year performance.
The commodity-wise growth figures for October 2026 were:
| Commodity | Growth |
|---|---|
| Food Grains | 26.3% |
| Domestic Coal | 16.0% |
| Balance Other Goods | 11.0% |
| Clinker | 10.4% |
| Domestic Containers | 6.3% |
| Iron Ore | 5.0% |
| Mineral Oil | 1.9% |
| Finished Steel | 0.5% |
The broad-based improvement indicates increased utilisation of railway infrastructure for transporting essential commodities and industrial materials across the country.
Power Sector Receives Greater Coal Transportation Support
A notable development during October was the expansion of domestic coal transportation for electricity-generating stations.
Indian Railways supplied an average of 469.8 coal rakes per day during the month. In October 2025, the corresponding daily average stood at 393.2 rakes. The difference represents a 19.5% year-on-year increase.
This enhanced transportation capacity is important for maintaining the movement of coal to power houses and supporting the country’s electricity supply requirements.
Seven-Month Freight Performance Crosses 978 Million Tonnes
The monthly achievement has also contributed to a stronger cumulative performance during the current financial year.
Between April and October 2026, Indian Railways transported 978.78 million tonnes of freight. During the corresponding seven-month period of the previous financial year, the figure was 935.10 million tonnes.
The resulting 4.67% growth demonstrates continued expansion in the railway freight business and its contribution to India’s domestic supply chains.
Passenger Movement Shows Positive Momentum
Freight transportation was not the only segment to register improvement. Passenger services also recorded higher traffic during October 2026.
The national railway network carried 64.72 crore passengers during the month, compared with 63.52 crore in October 2025.
The cumulative passenger traffic for April–October 2026 reached 443.8 crore, against 431.4 crore during the same period a year earlier.
The growth across passenger categories was as follows:
- Non-Suburban services: 4.2% increase.
- Suburban services: 1.7% increase.
The figures point to continued demand for railway services across both suburban commuting networks and other passenger routes.
Rail Connectivity Remains Central to Economic Activity
The latest operational results highlight the importance of India’s railway network in facilitating the movement of essential goods, supporting power generation and connecting passengers across different regions.
Higher freight volumes can strengthen the efficiency of domestic distribution systems, particularly for agricultural produce, industrial inputs and energy resources. At the same time, rising passenger numbers underline the continuing importance of railways as a major public transportation system.
Maintaining this growth will require sustained attention to infrastructure expansion, freight-handling capacity, operational management and passenger-service efficiency.
The October results offer a positive indication of Indian Railways’ contribution to India’s transportation and logistics sector during the 2026–27 financial year.
Source: Ministry of Railways, Government of India – Press Information Bureau (PIB), November 4, 2026.
Reported and Edited by: Suman Munshi
IBG NEWS
Editorial disclosure: This article has been independently structured and rewritten in original language using the supplied official data. All statistical figures and reported developments have been retained for factual accuracy.
