The Eastern Railway has set a new benchmark in freight operations by recording an all-time high of 8.50 million tons in originating freight loading in December 2024. This marks the best-ever December freight loading in the history of Eastern Railway.

According to the ER, the cumulative freight loading for the period from April to December 2024 in the current fiscal year (2024-25) reached 70.80 million tons, reflecting an 18.47 per cent increase compared to the same period in the previous year (59.76 million tons).

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In terms of goods revenue, Eastern Railway also achieved a remarkable milestone in December 2024. In December last year, the goods revenue reached Rs 812.06 crore creating a record and also surpassing the previous year’s earnings of Rs 694.24 crore in December 2023. For the period from April to December 2024, Eastern Railway’s goods revenue has witnessed a surge by 27.90 per cent, totalling Rs 6727.46 crore, compared to Rs 5259.91 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year (2023-24).

As pointed out by the zonal railway, the growth in freight loading and revenue is attributed to several key initiatives including the efforts of the Business Development Units (BDUs). One notable development was the commencement of freight transport for stone chips from Dumka, a result of the BDU’s efforts to explore and expand new freight earning possibilities.