Rail freight hits fast track in India's auto industry, shows data

According to data available with BS, the number of rakes handled by Railways for the automotive sector between April, December of FY25 stood at 5,651 units, up from 5,198 rakes in FY24

Indian Railways is seeing a major rise in its handling of automobile traffic, with the modal share of railways in overall vehicle transportation increasing from a mere 1.5 per cent in 2014 to over 20 per cent now.

 

According to Indian Railways, the number of rakes used for the automotive sector increased by 9 per cent from April to December in the current financial year (2024-25/FY25), resulting in a 5 per cent increase in freight revenue, reaching Rs 973 crore.

 

With three months remaining and companies like Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) and Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) moving aggressively, the revenue