Indian Railways recorded strong growth in both freight loading and passenger traffic in August 2026, while expanding cargo infrastructure and regularising additional passenger services across the country.
According to Indian Railways, freight loading rose 5.4% year-on-year to 137.9 million tonnes (MT) in August 2026, compared with 130.9 MT in the same month last year. Freight revenue also increased 6.27% during the month.
Several key commodity segments registered healthy growth. Iron ore loading increased 12.1%, followed by clinker at 10.4%, domestic containers at 9.2%, coal at 6%, finished steel at 4.9%, mineral oil at 3.1% and fertilisers at 1.6%. Loading of other goods increased 8.2%.
Railways also commissioned five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) during August, taking the cumulative number of operational GCTs to 149 as of August 31, 2026. The new terminals are located at Shivlakha in Gujarat, Nalli in Tamil Nadu, Shaktinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Deoragram in Madhya Pradesh and Brajrajnagar in Odisha.
The expansion of the GCT network is aimed at bringing freight-handling facilities closer to production and consumption centres, strengthening last-mile connectivity for industries and improving the efficiency of rail-based logistics.
Passenger traffic also recorded significant growth. Indian Railways carried 67.27 crore passengers in August 2026, compared with 64.43 crore in August 2025. Suburban passenger traffic grew particularly strongly, rising 9.02% to 38.01 crore passengers from 34.89 crore a year earlier.
During the month, 14 Amrit Bharat services were regularised, taking the total number of Amrit Bharat services to 86. The services connect major cities and regions across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country.
Key services include Subedarganj–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Gorakhpur–Bandra Terminus, Gorakhpur–Delhi Jn, Ahmedabad–Bhagalpur, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Prayagraj Jn, Prayagraj Jn–Udhna Jn and Dhanbad–Coimbatore.
The new regular services are expected to strengthen connectivity between major employment, industrial, education and commercial centres. In particular, the Gorakhpur–Bandra Terminus and Gorakhpur–Delhi services provide enhanced connectivity from Purvanchal and eastern Uttar Pradesh to two major metropolitan regions, while the Ahmedabad–Bhagalpur service strengthens the direct rail link between Gujarat and Bihar.
The Dhanbad–Coimbatore service further improves long-distance connectivity between eastern and southern India, while the Prayagraj–Udhna and Prayagraj–Mumbai connections expand travel options between Uttar Pradesh and western India.
To meet increased passenger demand during the festival season, Indian Railways operated 144 trips of Rakshabandhan Special trains between August 25 and 31, 2026, compared with 48 trips during the corresponding period in 2025.
The continued growth in freight and passenger traffic, alongside the expansion of Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals and passenger services, underscores Indian Railways’ focus on improving network capacity, strengthening multimodal connectivity and supporting economic activity across the country.