Kolkata, Sep 23 — South Eastern Railway (SER) has already loaded over 100 million tonnes of freight in less than the first six months of FY27. SER loaded 210.10 million tonnes of freight in 2025–26, earning Rs 18,324.4 crore. However, it fell short of its target of 218 million tonnes.
It was ranked third among the 17 freight-carrying zones after East Coast Railway, which carried 286.26 million tonnes, and South East Central Railway, which loaded 261.25 million tonnes.
“SER has maintained a strong performance in freight loading during 2026–27, achieving the significant milestone of 100 million tonnes on September 20. It reached this goal nine days ahead of last year. Till September 20, in 2024–25, SER had carried 94.94 million tonnes. The year-on-year growth is 5.42 per cent,” an official said. The positive momentum has continued thereafter, he noted.
On September 22, 2026, SER’s cumulative freight loading stood at 101.33 million tonnes against 96.05 million tonnes in the previous fiscal year. While the Railway Board has not set any targets for the zones yet, SER expects to retain its position on the list. Its closest contender for third position was East Central Railway with a loading figure of 203.42 million tonnes.
The major commodities that contributed significantly to this year's growth are coal (cumulative loading up by 6.41 per cent), alumina (cumulative loading up by 15.98 per cent), and iron ore (cumulative loading up by 7.55 per cent).
“The Chakradharpur Division has been a major contributor, recording 75.89 million tonnes against 70.97 million tonnes in the previous fiscal. This was a growth of 6.94 per cent. Kharagpur Division contributed 12.48 million tonnes, up from 12.06 million tonnes. This was a growth of 3.44 per cent,” the official said.
SER is upbeat about the early achievement of the 100 million tonnes milestone, along with sustained growth in key commodities, and believes it will perform much better than the previous year. This reflects South Eastern Railway's strong and consistent freight performance during the current financial year.
In the first three months of 2026–27, SER loaded 53.06 million tonnes of originating freight, registering growth of 1.51 per cent compared with the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Finished steel loading contributed the highest growth of 18.22 per cent. Iron ore loading also increased by 3.70 per cent. Coal loading from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd recorded a significant 17.6 per cent increase, averaging 18 rakes per day.
In the first three months, originating freight revenue reached Rs 4,539 crore, surpassing the corresponding period of the previous year by 1.10 per cent. Coal traffic generated Rs 1,426 crore, up 1.2 per cent from the previous year. Finished steel generated Rs 810 crore, up by 13.19 per cent. Loading of POL earned Rs 52 crore, registering the highest growth of 26.39 per cent over the corresponding period last year. Fertiliser loading also contributed Rs 25 crore, reflecting a 3.15 per cent growth.