New Delhi, April 2 -- As India braces for a hotter-than-normal summer, the railway ministry is set to increase the availability of rail rakes for coal transportation in FY26.

The average number of rakes deployed is expected to rise to 470 daily from last year's 440 rakes, said two people in the know of the matter. One rake, comprising several wagons, can transport around 4,000 tonnes of coal. Railways serves as the primary mode of transportation for the fuel.

"Currently, around 415 rakes are transporting coal daily for power generation. With projections of high demand going ahead, there is largely a consensus that 469-470 rakes would be required in FY26, which the Indian Railways would provide," said one of the two people mentioned abov...