ECoR Sets Record In Freight Handling

Visakhapatnam: East Coast Railway (ECoR) has set a new benchmark in freight transportation by achieving a record 259.254 million tons of originating freight during the 2024-25 financial year.

The remarkable feat marks a significant milestone as ECoR becomes the first Railway Zone in the country to cross the 259 million-tonne mark, surpassing previous records in freight loading, officials said on Friday. The achievement represents a growth of 1.2 per cent over the previous year, with an increase of 3.034 million tons from the financial year 2023-24.

During the period, Zonal Railways apart from who have crossed the 200 MT loading are South East Central (SEC) Railway loaded 253.208 MT, South Eastern (SE) Railway loaded 212.361 MT and East Central (EC) Railway loaded 202.62MT of freight, the official said. ECoR has consistently shown its strength in freight operations, maintaining a historic achievement of crossing the 200 million tons mark for the sixth consecutive year. This feat is especially noteworthy given the challenges faced throughout the year, demonstrating the Zone’s efficiency, strategic planning and the unwavering dedication of its workforce.. Throughout the financial year, East Coast Railway handled a variety of essential commodities, including: 153.27 million tonnes of coal, 9.95 million tonnes of raw materials to steel plants, 21.38 million tonnes of steel and slag, 32.47 million tonnes of iron ore, 1.06 million tonnes of cement, 2.98 million tonnes of food grains and 6.77 million tonnes of fertilizers.

This exceptional performance was driven by the strong contributions from the coalfields of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) at Talcher, five major ports in ECoR’s jurisdiction (Paradeep, Dhamara, Vizag, Gangavaram and Gopalpur), as well as key industries in the steel, aluminum and iron ore sectors.