Indian Railways registered a 5.4 per cent year-on-year growth, loading 137.9 million tonnes of freight during August 2026, compared to 130.9 million tonnes in August 2025.

The Ministry of Railways informed that freight revenue during August 2026 increased by 6.27 per cent compared to August 2025, indicating continued strengthening of the freight business of Indian Railways.

The Ministry added that last month five new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals were commissioned, taking the cumulative number of commissioned GCTs to 149 as on 31 August 2026.

The Ministry also said that 14 Amrit Bharat services were regularised from special trains to regular trains last month, taking the total number of Amrit Bharat services to 86.

The services include Subedarganj to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Gorakhpur to Bandra Terminus, Gorakhpur to Delhi Junction and Ahmedabad to Bhagalpur.

Furthermore, Indian Railways carried 67.27 crore passengers during August 2026, compared to 64.43 crore passengers during August 2025.

Meanwhile, suburban passenger traffic also recorded particularly strong growth, which reflects the continued importance of the railway network in providing affordable daily mobility to millions of passengers, particularly in densely populated urban and suburban regions.

The Ministry further informed that with increased passenger demand during the festival season, Indian Railways operated 144 trips of Rakshabandhan.

Special trains between 25 and 31 August 2026, compared to 48 trips operated between 8 and 14 August last year.