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South East Central Railway (SECR) has reached a historic operational milestone in the current financial year 2025-26 by surpassing 200.74 million tonnes in originating freight loading one of the fastest and largest freight achievements in its history. This landmark was achieved in just 287 days of the fiscal year, surpassing last year's pace and underscoring improving operational efficiency across key divisions including Bilaspur, Raipur and Nagpur. Coal remained the dominant commodity, while raw materials for steel plants, food grains, finished steel and container EXIM traffic also recorded significant growth. Strategic infrastructure upgrades such as new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals, rapid loading systems and modernised goods sheds have substantially enhanced freight handling capacities and efficiencies on SECR lines, driving this remarkable performance.
In a significant development for Indian Railways freight operations, South East Central Railway (SECR) has crossed the 200 million tonne freight loading mark in the current 2025-26 financial year, setting a new record for the zone. The milestone of 200.74 million tonnes was recorded by January 12, 2026, within just 287 days of the fiscal year faster than the previous year when the same threshold was reached in 295 days, reflecting both stronger demand and enhanced operational execution. Advertisement
SECR is one of Indian Railways most freight-intensive zones, covering key mineral and industrial hinterlands across Chhattisgarh, parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The zone's Bilaspur division led the performance chart with 149.75 million tonnes of originating freight, followed by Raipur division's 35.29 million tonnes and Nagpur division's 15.71 million tonnes, each posting growth over the corresponding period of the previous year.
Coal, traditionally the backbone of rail freight, continued to dominate SECR's loading profile, with 154.36 million tonnes moved a roughly 3% increase compared with last year. Other key commodities also showed strong traction: raw materials for steel plants grew by 15.4%, food grains by 9.9%, and finished steel/pig iron by 5.6%. Notably, container EXIM freight exhibited the highest relative growth at 44.4%, highlighting expanding logistics demand tied to export-import activities.
The achievement is the result of both demand growth and deliberate infrastructure enhancements within the SECR network. Over the last year, the zone commissioned three new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals, eight Rapid Loading Systems (RLS) and 23 silos upgrades that have helped improve overall loading efficiency by more than 60%. Modernisation of goods sheds and expanded digital interfaces, including wider deployment of e-payment systems and drone-enabled monitoring, have further streamlined freight operations.
Railway officials have attributed this performance to focused logistics planning, closer coordination with bulk commodity producers, and enhancements to yard and terminal capacity. SECR's success stands as a key contributor to Indian Railways broader freight ambitions, which continue to underpin national supply chains for coal, steel, agricultural commodities and trade-linked container movements. The achievement comes amid ongoing efforts across Indian Railways to strengthen freight capacity, improve turn-around times and support economic growth.
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