Bhubaneswar, Apr 1 (PTI) The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has set a new benchmark by loading 259.254 million tonne of freight during the 2024-25 financial year, an official release said.

This remarkable feat marks a significant milestone as ECoR becomes the first Railway Zone in the country to cross the 259 million-tonne mark between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, surpassing previous records in freight loading, it said.

The achievement represents a growth of 1.2 per cent over the previous year, with an increase of 3.034 million tonne from the 2023-24 fiscal year, it said.

ECoR has consistently shown its strength in freight operations, by crossing the 200 million tonne 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," the statement said.

Throughout the fiscal, the ECoR handled a variety of essential commodities, including 153.271 million tonne of coal, 9.952 MT of raw materials to steel plants, 21.381 MT of steel and slag, 32.476 MT of iron ore, 1.065 MT of cement, 2.989 MT of food grains, 6.772 MT of fertilizers, 2.991 MT of mineral oil and 28.357 MT of freight in containers, among other goods, it said.

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

Freight loading record set as a railway zone surpasses previous annual milestone, driven by coalfields and major ports. East Coast Railway recorded 259.254 million tonnes of freight in 2024-25, a 1.2 percent increase over the previous year and the first railway zone to exceed the 259 million-tonne mark; coal dominated the commodity mix, with significant contributions from iron ore, steel and slag, container freight and other goods, driven by regional coalfields, five major ports and key steel, aluminium and iron-ore industries.