Indian Railways Achieves Milestone with 1,670 MT Freight and Daily 25,000 Train Operations in FY26
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
New Delhi, April 4 (NationPress) - On Saturday, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Indian Railways experienced a remarkable year in FY 2025-26, achieving unprecedented performance in freight loading and enhancing passenger services, infrastructure, safety measures, and digital innovations. The freight transportation volume reached an exceptional milestone of 1,670 million tonnes during the year.
This impressive growth reflects Indian Railways' capability to efficiently manage essential commodities such as coal, cement, fertilisers, and food grains, thus ensuring the stability of critical supply chains.
The Minister emphasized the achievements, which included record freight and passenger metrics, the expansion of Vande Bharat services—including sleeper variants—and advancements in safety and infrastructure.
According to Union Minister Vaishnaw, rail operations remained strong, with approximately 25,000 trains operating daily.
To further enhance passenger convenience during peak demand, additional special trains were introduced, as per the Union Minister's remarks.
In terms of manufacturing, Indian Railways produced 1,674 locomotives and 6,677 LHB coaches, reinforcing its commitment to the 'Make in India' initiative while also elevating safety and travel comfort.
Passenger services were further upgraded with the introduction of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, which complement the existing Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat services, especially for long-distance journeys.
Safety protocols advanced with the extension of the indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection System, which has now been implemented over 3,100 route kilometres, with plans for an additional 24,400 km underway.
Digital transformation was a key focus, highlighted by the launch of the RailOne App in July 2025, providing a comprehensive platform for ticket bookings, train inquiries, and grievance resolution.
In the pursuit of improved transparency, over 3.04 crore dubious user accounts were removed.
Infrastructure development was marked by the commissioning of 35 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals and the redevelopment of 119 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Connectivity enhancements were also noted, including the extension of rail links to Aizawl (Mizoram) and the improvement of all-weather connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir.