The South Western Railway set a new freight loading record

This achievement surpasses the previous record of 4.25 MT set in May 2008. | Photo credit: File photo

South Western Railway (SWR) has set a new record by registering an original freight load of 4.40 million tonnes (MT) in May 2026, registering an increase of 4.3% over the previous year, an SWR report said.

According to a CPRO press release, this performance surpasses the previous record of 4.25 MT set in May 2008. During May, an average of 2,275 wagons were loaded per day compared to 2,193 wagons per day in the same period last year, an increase of 3.7%.

In terms of commodities, SWR handled 1.766 MT of iron ore, 0.921 MT of steel and 0.108 MT of RMSP during May 2026. Coal loading was 0.93 MT, a significant increase of 23.3% compared to 0.76 MT in May 2025, while grain loading was 225 MT. Container traffic also showed improvement, reaching 0.09 MT as against 0.07 MT last year, reflecting a growth of 16.9%. In addition, the loading of other goods (BOG) increased to 0.22 MT from 0.14 MT in May 2025, a substantial increase of 56.3% (up by 0.080 MT).

SWR recorded a stable financial performance in May 2026, with a gross profit of ₹ 770.71 crore. Passenger revenue continued to be the major contributor, reaching ₹ 302.34 crore, an increase of 21.37% over the previous year. The number of passengers carried rose to 16.36 million, an increase of 6.72% over last year.

For the financial year to May 2026, passenger revenue increased to ₹ 609.68 crore, a growth of 16.2%. Carriage revenue stood at ₹782.92 million, while other coaching revenue was ₹54.75 million and other revenue was ₹34.11 million. The total gross income for the period was ₹1,481.46 crore, the report said.

Published – 03 Jun 2026 0:36 IST