BELAGAVI
South Western Railway (SWR) has registered a boost in freight operations and earnings during December 2025, which includes a major contribution of iron ore, steel and coal from Goa.
During the month, SWR recorded its best-ever December freight loading of 5.07 million tonnes (MT), a significant increase from 4.04 MT in December 2024. This represents a robust growth of 25.4 per cent, surpassing the previous all-time monthly record of 5.04 MT achieved in March 2024. The strong performance reflects focused efforts to enhance capacity utilisation and improve customer-centric freight services.
Commodity-wise, iron ore loading rose sharply to 2.1 MT, registering a growth of 38.6 per cent, while coal loading increased to 1.1 MT, up by 19.5 per cent. Steel traffic also performed strongly at 0.91 MT, marking a growth of 15.6 per cent over the previous year and contributing significantly to overall freight gains.
Growth was recorded in RMSP, which nearly doubled to 0.15 MT, while mineral oil loading reached 0.22 MT, the highest-ever monthly loading since the inception of SWR. Positive trends were also observed in fertilisers and container traffic, highlighting diversification and balanced growth across commodities.
“Cumulatively, during the April“December 2025“26 period, SWR loaded 38.36 MT of originating freight, achieving an impressive growth of 18.5 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year. This is the highest-ever freight loading for the April“December period in SWR’s history, driven by strong performance in iron ore, steel, coal, RMSP, fertilisers, and container traffic,” SWR Chief PRO Dr Manjunath Kanamadi said.
On the earnings front, SWR achieved a gross revenue of Rs 839.70 crore in December 2025, registering a growth of 14.36 per cent over December 2024. Freight revenue rose sharply to Rs 503.84 crore, reflecting a 12.43 per cent increase. Passenger revenue touched Rs 296.18 crore, with 14.56 million passengers carried during the month, while sundry revenue also showed healthy growth.
“Overall, these achievements underscore South Western Railway’s commitment to operational excellence, revenue enhancement, and its vital role in supporting passenger mobility, industrial activity, and regional economic development,” Dr Kanamadi added.
