New Delhi, Nov. 22 -- Indian Railways' freight performance continues to strengthen India's economic backbone, with cumulative loading this year crossing the 1-billion-tonne mark--reaching 1020 Million Tonnes (MT) as of November 19, according to an official statement.

This milestone reflects broad-based support from key sectors: coal remains the largest contributor at 505 MT, followed by iron ore (115 MT), cement (92 MT), container traffic (59 MT), pig iron and finished steel (47 MT), fertilisers (42 MT), mineral oil (32 MT), foodgrains (30 MT), raw materials for steel plants (approx. 20 MT), and balance-other-goods (74 MT).

Daily loading continues to hold strong at around 4.4 MT, higher than 4.2 MT last year, demonstrating improved oper...