Bhubaneswar, Mar 21 : The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has once again set a historic milestone in freight loading, becoming the first railway zone in India to achieve 250 million tons (MT) of originating freight in the financial year 2024-25.
This remarkable achievement was accomplished ahead of schedule—by March 21, 2024—11 days before the end of the financial year.
ECoR’s freight loading record surpasses all previous benchmarks of Indian Railways, reinforcing its status as the highest freight-loading zone in the country.
This is the second consecutive year that ECoR has crossed the 250 MT mark. Notably, ECoR has also achieved the distinction of surpassing 200 MT of freight loading for the sixth consecutive year.
Additionally, ECoR has released/unloaded 228.3 million tons of freight under its jurisdiction in the 2024-25 financial year, registering an increase of 2.6 percent compared to the 2023-24 fiscal. As of March 21 in the 2023-24 fiscal year, ECoR had unloaded 222.4 MT of freight within its jurisdiction.
The three railway divisions of East Coast Railway played a crucial role in attaining this historic feat. Major freight contributors include the coalfields of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) at Talcher, five key ports under ECoR’s jurisdiction: Paradeep, Dhamara, Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram, and Gopalpur, iron ore mines in Bailadila (Chhattisgarh) and Keonjhar District (Odisha) and major steel and aluminium industries
ECoR has a long-standing legacy of achieving significant freight milestones.
It was the second railway zone, after the undivided South Eastern Railway, to cross 200 MT in the financial year 2019-20.
Today, it has established itself as the first railway zone to achieve 250 MT of freight loading for two consecutive years.
Despite various operational challenges, this record-breaking achievement was made possible through meticulous planning, seamless coordination with government sectors, industries, and stakeholders, and an unwavering commitment to efficiency.
The dedicated workforce of East Coast Railway, with its positive attitude and relentless efforts, has played a key role in maintaining this momentum of success, ECoR General Manager Parmeshwar Funkwal said.
This phenomenal performance further cements East Coast Railway’s position as a frontrunner in freight transportation, significantly contributing to the nation’s economic growth and logistics efficiency, he added.(UNI)
ECoR achieves record 250 Million Tons of freight loading in 2024-25, surpassing all previous records
