Northeast Frontier Railway Registers Strong Freight Performance in FY 2025–26
· Free Press Journal
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has also recorded a commendable performance in freight operations during the last financial year, underscoring its vital role in supporting economic growth in the northeastern region. Leveraging improved infrastructure, better terminal management and close coordination with stakeholders, NFR ensured efficient and timely transportation of key commodities such as food grains, fertilizers, coal, cement and petroleum products.
The zone focused on enhancing loading efficiency and turnaround time, resulting in higher freight throughput and improved asset utilization. Special emphasis was laid on customer-centric initiatives, including streamlined booking processes, real-time tracking and development of freight terminals, which helped attract new traffic streams and strengthen existing partnerships with industries.
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NFR achieved a total freight loading of 11.4 million tonnes (MT) in FY 2025–26, registering a 6% growth over FY 2024–25. This consistent growth highlights the zone’s sustained focus on improving logistics efficiency and enhancing freight capacity. Among commodities, Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) recorded its best-ever performance, with 1,488 rakes loaded during the year. Other key commodities such as cement, stone chips, dolomite and bamboo chips also registered notable increases, contributing to the overall growth in freight traffic.
Freight handling operations also showed significant improvement, with total unloading of freight rakes increasing by 688 rakes—from 12,346 rakes in FY 2024–25 to 13,034 rakes in FY 2025–26. This growth underscores improved terminal productivity and better coordination across divisions. Additionally, unloading performance across major commodities recorded encouraging gains. Automobile traffic grew by 22%, while cement unloading increased by 18%. Stone chips, food grains (FCI) and fertilizer segments also posted positive growth trends.
At the terminal level, several stations demonstrated strong performance in unloading activities. Baihata emerged as the top performer with a 24% increase, followed by Changsari and STAR terminal, each registering an 18% growth. Terminals like Azara and Jirania also showed steady improvement, further strengthening the zone’s logistics network.
The overall performance of NFR during FY 2025–26 highlights its continued commitment to operational excellence, infrastructure development and customer-focused initiatives. With sustained momentum across key freight segments and terminals, NFR remains focused on further enhancing its freight capabilities to support economic growth in the Northeast region and further boost freight performance in the coming years.