East Coast Railway Crosses 100 Million Ton Mark in Freight
Achieves Milestone in Just 148 Days of FY 2025–26
Bhubaneswar : The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has set a new benchmark in freight movement by unloading over 100 million tons of cargo within just 148 days of the current financial year 2025–26. Officials announced that the zone handled 100.55 million tons of freight as of August 26, marking an 8% growth compared to the same period last year. This reflects an increase of 7.43 million tons.
Breaking down the achievement, the Khurda Road Division led with 58.1 million tons, followed by Waltair Division with 25.46 million tons and Sambalpur Division with 17 million tons. These divisions serve as key lifelines for industries across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
ECoR continues to play a critical role in supporting industrial hubs and ports under its jurisdiction, including Paradeep, Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Gopalpur, and Dhamra. The freight carried largely serves steel plants, power stations, fertilizer industries, cement factories, and aluminum units. Major commodities transported include coal, iron ore, alumina, manganese, and bauxite, which are crucial for India’s infrastructure and energy sectors.
What makes this year’s achievement remarkable is the speed of execution. ECoR crossed the 100 million ton milestone in just 148 days, which is 12 days earlier than in FY 2024–25 (160 days) and 23 days earlier than in FY 2023–24 (171 days). This highlights improvements in efficiency, better connectivity to ports, and streamlined coordination with industries.
Railway officials credited several factors for the growth. These include enhanced loading and unloading facilities, faster turnaround times of rakes, better synchronization between ports and industries, and the adoption of modern freight management practices. The focus on customer-centric operations and maintaining reliable schedules has also helped strengthen confidence among industries dependent on bulk cargo movement.
The milestone reinforces the importance of ECoR in India’s logistics network. With coal and iron ore continuing to dominate freight traffic, the zone ensures uninterrupted supplies to steel plants and thermal power stations, which are vital for the country’s energy and infrastructure needs. Additionally, the growing transportation of alumina and bauxite underlines Odisha’s role as a mineral-rich state fueling India’s industrial growth.
ECoR officials reiterated their commitment to maintaining momentum for the rest of the financial year. They emphasized that sustained efficiency in freight handling will not only support industrial production but also enhance port-based trade and exports. The focus remains on enabling faster, seamless, and safe transportation of goods, thereby strengthening India’s logistics backbone.
With consistent performance and strategic importance, the East Coast Railway continues to position itself as one of the most crucial freight-handling zones of Indian Railways, driving both regional and national economic growth.
