New Delhi: Indian Railways loaded 137.9 million tonnes of freight in August this year, compared to 130.9 million tonnes in August 2025, registering a 5.4 per cent year-on-year growth, officials said on Sunday.
"The increase in freight movement reflects growing demand from key sectors such as coal, iron ore, steel, fertilisers and other commodities," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a press note.
"Higher rail freight movement also helps industries access reliable transportation while supporting the movement of essential commodities across regions," it added.
Several important commodity groups such as iron ore, clinker, fertilisers, etc. recorded healthy growth during August 2026, officials said.
According to the Ministry of Railways, in August 2026, five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) were commissioned, taking the cumulative number of commissioned GCTs to 149 as on 31 August 2026.
Highlighting growth in passenger traffic, the ministry stated that Railways carried 67.27 crore passengers in August 2026, compared to 64.43 crore passengers in August 2025.
"Suburban passenger traffic recorded particularly strong growth, increasing by 9.02 per cent. A total of 38.01 crore suburban passengers travelled during August 2026, compared to 34.89 crore in August 2025," the press note said.
Expanding passenger connectivity, 14 Amrit Bharat services were regularised from special train to regular train during the month, taking the total number of Amrit Bharat services to 86, it added.
