Indian Railways loaded 1,465.371 million tonnes (MT) of freight in FY 2024-25, up from 1,443.166 MT in 2023-24, the Ministry of Railways said. The Railways has set an ambitious target of loading 3,000 MT freight by 2027. “Indian Railways is steadily progressing toward its ambitious target of 3,000 MT freight loading, achieving 1,465.371 MT in FY 2024-25,” the ministry posted.

The movements of freight and passenger trains have gone up significantly in the past 11 years, with more than 34,000 km of new railway tracks laid across the country. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said the Railways has registered robust production figures for the financial year 2024-25 (up until January) in locomotives, coaches, and axles manufacturing.

“The IR has marked steady growth in the manufacturing of coaches, locomotives, wheels, and axles. During the financial year of 2023-24, 1.98 lakh wheels were manufactured, which has now increased to 2.43 lakh during the financial year of 2024-25, up until January 2025, registering an increase of 23%,” the minister said. Citing figures for locomotive production, the minister said, compared to the 1,235 locomotives produced during 2023-24 until January, the Railways had manufactured 1,346 locomotives during 2024-25, registering a rise of more than 9%.

In 2023-24, 5,169 coaches were manufactured, which increased to 8,805 in 2024-25, registering an increase of 12%. Production of axles went up 7% from 77,636 units to 83,275 units in 2024-25. The ministry said over a decade, the Railways has registered a five-fold increase in women loco pilots. In 2014, there were only 371 women locos, while in 2024 there were 1,828 in service.