Indian Railways Achieves Strong Freight Growth in February 2026
Indian Railways has reaffirmed its vital role in boosting India’s economic activity by ensuring the efficient transport of essential goods such as coal, steel, fertilizers, and food grains. In February 2026, the rail network reported a robust increase in freight operations compared to the same month last year, underscoring the ongoing demand for rail-based logistics across various sectors.
In February 2026, Indian Railways transported an impressive 137.72 million tonnes of freight, marking a 3.96% rise from the 132.48 million tonnes recorded in February 2025. Freight revenue for the month also saw an uptick, reaching ₹14,571.99 crore, up from ₹14,151.96 crore in the same month last year—a increase of 2.97%.
Key Drivers of Growth
The growth in freight traffic has largely been propelled by core sector commodities. During the month, Indian Railways moved significant quantities of coal, iron ore, finished steel, fertilizers, cement, and container traffic. Notably, the demand for finished steel, iron ore, and fertilizers played a substantial role in bolstering overall freight performance.
Several commodities showed promising year-on-year growth rates. Iron ore loading surged by 27.6%, with 0.675 million tonnes compared to last year’s 0.529 million tonnes. Similarly, pig iron and finished steel shipments increased by 20.8%, reaching 0.343 million tonnes from 0.284 million tonnes last year. Furthermore, the loading of raw materials for steel plants, excluding iron ore, went up by a significant 46.9% to 0.141 million tonnes from 0.096 million tonnes.
Other commodities also recorded solid increases. Fertilizer shipments reached 0.184 million tonnes from 0.167 million tonnes (up 10.2%), while mineral oil increased to 0.172 million tonnes from 0.146 million tonnes (up 17.8%). Container EXIM traffic also saw an increase to 0.251 million tonnes compared to 0.213 million tonnes the previous year (up 17.8%).
Impressive Cumulative Performance
For the financial year 2025-26, from April to February, Indian Railways reported a cumulative freight performance of 1,503.80 million tonnes, marking a 3.28% increase from the previous year’s 1,456.07 million tonnes. During this period, freight revenue also climbed, totaling ₹1,60,987 crore, a 1.54% increase compared to ₹1,58,539.86 crore in the previous year. The total freight movement in NTKM stood at an impressive 840,000 million NTKM, up 1.62% from 826,586 million NTKM.
Investing in the Future
Indian Railways continues to enhance its freight logistics capabilities by upgrading capacity, improving terminal infrastructure, and developing dedicated freight corridors along with digital management systems. These strategic initiatives are designed to help businesses transport their goods more efficiently while simultaneously lowering logistics costs.
With ongoing investments in infrastructure and freight operations, Indian Railways remains dedicated to fulfilling its role as the backbone of India’s logistics network, significantly aiding in the nation’s economic progression.
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