East Coast Railway (ECoR) recorded a 10 per cent growth in freight loading during April–January 2025-26, handling 199.50 million tonnes (MT). During the same period of last fiscal, ECoR loaded 181.24. Fertilizer loading rose from 5.82 MT during April-January period of last fiscal as against 8.22 MT this year.
The growth was driven by Paradeep and Dhamra Ports in Odisha besides Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh. Fertilizer loading in Andhra rose from 2.11 MT to 3.71 MT. ECoR’s better rake planning, close coordination with fertilizer companies, and improved terminal efficiency were key factors in this growth.
Cement loading rose steadily to 0.89 MT during April–January 2025-26, compared to 0.79 MT during the corresponding period last year due to effective coordination between ECoR and cement manufacturers.
Food grain loading grew from 2.37 MT in April–January 2024-25 to 2.73 MT in the current financial year.
Odisha alone contributed 1.82 MT, while Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also registered improvement. This supported the Public Distribution System (PDS) and ensured uninterrupted supply of essential commodities by timely rake placement, faster wagon turnaround and priority handling of essentials by ECoR.
Coal loading touched 131.44 MT, up from 126.64 MT last year. Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants (POL) loading reached 2.70 MT during the current period, up from 2.47 MT last year due to terminal efficiency and uninterrupted movement of fuel products.
Finished Steel loading increased significantly to touch 22.31 MT compared to 17.09 MT during the same period last year on higher production and better evacuation from steel plants in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Iron Ore loading also increased significantly to 31.22 MT from 26.06 MT.
