The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has reported consistent growth in freight handling, with September 2025 seeing a notable increase compared to the same period last year.
According to NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the zone unloaded 1,059 freight-carrying rakes during September, marking a 9.63% growth over the 966 rakes handled in September 2024.
The freight comprised essential commodities including FCI rice, sugar, salt, edible oil, food grains, fertilizers, cement, coal, vegetables, automobiles, and tankers, which were transported and unloaded across various goods sheds within the NFR’s jurisdiction.
A substantial portion of this freight supports the Northeastern states. In September 2025, Assam alone received 595 rakes, with 291 carrying essential goods. Other states recorded the following: Tripura – 83 rakes, Nagaland – 21, Arunachal Pradesh – 7, Manipur – 20, Meghalaya – 2, Mizoram – 19. Additionally, West Bengal and Bihar saw the unloading of 179 and 133 rakes, respectively, carrying a mix of essential and non-essential commodities.
Sharma emphasized that the regular transportation of essential goods not only ensures daily needs are met but also sustains and boosts regional economic activities. He credited close monitoring and improved operational efficiency for the reduced turnaround time and enhanced unloading performance.
The NFR, one of India’s 17 railway zones, operates across the Northeastern states, as well as in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts in northern Bihar.
In a landmark development for regional connectivity, Mizoram’s capital Aizawl became the fourth Northeastern capital to be connected by rail, following Guwahati, Agartala, and Itanagar, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project on September 13, 2025.
This growth in freight handling, coupled with new rail links, underscores the NFR’s role in strengthening logistics, trade, and economic development across the Northeast.