Indian Railways expanded both freight and passenger capacity in August 2026, with freight loading rising 5.4 per cent year on year (YoY), five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals commissioned and 14 Amrit Bharat services regularised from special train to regular train.

The railway operator loaded 137.9 million tonnes of freight during August 2026, compared with 130.9 million tonnes in August 2025, the Ministry of Railways said in a press release. Freight revenue during the month increased by 6.27 per cent compared with August 2025, reflecting stronger freight business for Indian Railways.

Higher freight movement reflected continued demand from key sectors including coal, iron ore, steel, fertilisers and other commodities. For industrial supply chains, the increase points to greater use of rail for moving essential inputs and finished goods across regions.

Several commodity groups recorded growth in August 2026. Iron ore loading rose 12.1 per cent, clinker 10.4 per cent, domestic container 9.2 per cent and coal 6 per cent. Increased container movement supports more efficient transportation of diverse goods through the rail network.

Indian Railways commissioned five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals in August 2026, taking the cumulative number of commissioned GCTs to 149 as on August 31, 2026. The new terminals are at Shivlakha in Gujarat, Nalli in Tamil Nadu, Shaktinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Deoragram in Madhya Pradesh and Brajrajnagar in Odisha.

The expansion of the GCT network brings freight-handling facilities closer to production and consumption centres, enabling more direct handling of goods, reducing avoidable movement, improving logistics efficiency and facilitating faster evacuation of freight from industrial and commercial locations. The network is also strengthening the integration of railways with India’s wider logistics infrastructure and giving industries greater access to rail-based freight transportation.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)