Indian Railways Hits Record Freight, Runs 25,000 Trains Daily in FY26

New Delhi: Indian Railways delivered a strong all-round performance in the financial year 2025–26, achieving record freight movement and expanding passenger services, infrastructure, and safety systems, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday.

Freight transportation reached an all-time high of 1,670 million tonnes, reflecting the railways’ growing capacity to efficiently handle essential commodities such as coal, cement, fertilisers, and food grains—key to maintaining the country’s supply chains.

Highlighting operational strength, the minister noted that around 25,000 trains ran daily, with additional special trains introduced during peak periods to improve passenger convenience and accessibility.

On the manufacturing front, Indian Railways produced 1,674 locomotives and 6,677 LHB coaches, supporting the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative while enhancing safety and travel comfort.

Passenger services also saw significant upgrades with the expansion of premium trains like Vande Bharat Express, including the introduction of sleeper variants aimed at improving long-distance travel. These developments complement existing services such as Amrit Bharat trains.

Safety remained a key focus area, with the indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection System now operational across over 3,100 route kilometres, and further implementation underway on an additional 24,400 km.

In the digital space, the launch of the RailOne App in July 2025 marked a step toward greater convenience, offering a single platform for ticket booking, train tracking, and grievance redressal. Efforts to improve transparency also led to the removal of over 3.04 crore suspicious user accounts.

Infrastructure development continued at pace, with 35 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals commissioned and 119 railway stations redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

Connectivity improvements were also highlighted, including the extension of rail links to Aizawl and enhanced all-weather connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir.

Overall, the achievements mark a significant step forward in modernising Indian Railways and strengthening its role in India’s economic growth.

With inputs from IANS