Indian Railways Records Highest-Ever Freight Loading Of 114.8 MT In May 2021: Report

The Union Ministry of Railways stated on Tuesday that the Indian Railways has recorded the highest-ever freight loading of 114.8 metric tonne (MT) in May 2021 as the national transporter earned Rs 11604.4 crore through the same.

Around 15.12 million tonnes of iron ore, 3.18 million tonnes of mineral oil, 5.36 million tonnes of cement (excluding clinker), 3.68 million tonnes of fertilizers, 54.52 million tonnes of coal are some of the major items that were transported through the freight services in the previous month.

Overall, the ministry implied that the offered concessions and discounts along with the fact that the speed of freight trains have doubled in the past 18 months have ensured that there is ample cost-cutting for stakeholders alongside making the freight movement further attractive.

“In May 2021 is 114.8 MT which is 9.7 per cent more than May 2019 (104.6 MT) for the same period. Wagon Turnaround time has seen an improvement of 26 per cent in this month. In May, 2021, wagon turnaround time is registered at 4.81 days as compared to 6.46 in May 2019,” the railways’ statement was quoted by the Economic Times.

Furthermore, they added that around four different zones of the railways has clocked an average speed surpassing 50 kmph. Favourable geographical conditions tend to enable specific sections to provide good speed to the freight trains.

“An average speed of 45.6 Kmph is registered in May 2021 for freight trains which are 26 per cent more as compared to 36.19 Kmph for the same period,” the national transporter revealed.