Coal transport contributed the most to the Indian Railways' latest record—freight loading crossing the one-billion-tonne mark for FY 2025-26.
The Ministry of Railways on Saturday stated that coal transports amounted to 505 Million Tonnes (MT) out of the total recorded freight volume of 1,020 MT. Iron ore (115 MT) and cement (92 MT) were the second and third largest contributors to freight volume respectively.
This follows the country reaching a major milestone in its energy transition efforts earlier in this year, by achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of 50 per cent of its installed electric power coming from non-fossil fuel sources.
NDCs are climate action plans that measure the efforts of each country to reduce national emissions. The goal was reached five years ahead of schedule, the Centre had said.
Yet, the railway ministry advocates shifting bulk goods movement to rail, as it would reduce carbon footprints, decongest highways, and provide industries (including MSMEs) access to greater logistics solutions.
"These developments reinforce India's commitment to sustainable growth, aligning freight operations with the nation's journey towards Net Zero Carbon Emission targets and positioning Railways as a catalyst for both economic and environmental progress," the ministry said.
The Indian Railways has also vowed to become a net-zero carbon emitter in the future by "offsetting carbon emissions with the usage of power through non-fossil sources".
Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had also declared in March this year that as much as 756 MW of renewable energy—obtained from solar power, wind energy, and other renewable sources—had been commissioned for rail transport, as of February 2025.
With almost 98 per cent of the total BG network electrified till that period, and research into the use of hydrogen gas to drive trains and further reduce rail emissions, the railways seem well on their way to achieving India’s broader decarbonisation goals by encouraging cleaner, rail-based movement of energy-intensive materials.
