In December last year, freight load totalled 118.13 million tonnes compared to 108.84 million tonnes in 2019, the Railways said in a statement. 

In this period, the Railways earned Rs 11,788.11 crore from freight load, an increase of Rs 757.74 crore or 6.87 per cent compared with earnings of Rs 11,030.37 crore during the corresponding period in 2019. 

In December last year, the total loading was 118.13 million tonnes, including 50.67 million tonnes of coal, 15.31 million tonnes of iron ore, 6.13 million tonnes of food grains, 5.23 million tonnes of fertilisers, 4.3 million tonnes of mineral oil and 7.46 million tonnes of cement (excluding clinker). 

The government gives concessions and discounts to make freight movement through the railways a very attractive proposition for businesses. 

Improvements in freight movements will be institutionalised and incorporated in the upcoming zero-based time table. 

The Railways has used the pandemic period as an opportunity to improve all-round efficiencies and performances, it said.