Trains pulling containers, oil tankers and transporting coal put the spotlight on the country's industrial engine chugging forward. As part of its national logistics push, the Indian government led by Prime Minister Modi has launched Gati Shakti trains, which are semi-high-speed trains aimed speeding up supply of industrial goods.
In FY23, the number of rakes of freight trains operated touched the five lakh mark, and PM Modi has hailed it as a proof of India's growing industrial momentum.
Operations gathering more steam
The number of rakes pulled by India's freight trains have been growing consistently from little over four lakh in FY20 to more than five lakh in the past year.
The Ministry of railways has tweeted that the development shows the strength and efficiency of the Indian economy.
The monthly freight loading for April went up to 126.46 tonnes, which indicated a rise of 3.5 per cent.
Ease of doing business a game changer
The revenue from freight for the month also went up by 7 per cent to Rs 13,893 crore.
Under initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti among others, the railways has been trying to make service delivery more seamless and cost effective.
Among commodities transported via freight trains, coal led the way at 62.39 megatonne, followed by iron ore and cement.
