India ranks second in rail cargo and becomes the world’s largest locomotive maker

With the goal of creating a Viksit Bharat by 2047, Indian Railways is working harder to contribute significantly to this change in the country. From renovating train stations and introducing new trains to fortifying infrastructure and growing rail networks by building new lines and doubling projects, the national transporter is making progress on several fronts. The Ministry of Railways is also working to establish India as one of the top railway exporters in the world.

India is now the biggest locomotive builder in the world. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw declared during a CII event on May 30 that the nation manufactured 1,600 locomotives in the previous year, which was the highest manufacturing number in the world. With 1600 locomotives built in the past year—more than the combined output of the US, Europe, and Japan—we have emerged as the largest locomotive manufacturer in the world. Vaishnaw added, “We’re also bringing new technologies producing the most modern locomotives in the world.”

India now ranks second globally in railway cargo-carrying capacity. To further enhance freight efficiency, the country is actively developing its Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), aimed at ensuring smooth, uninterrupted movement of goods trains without affecting passenger train operations.

“We’ve achieved major milestones in last 10 yrs and now is the 2nd largest cargo carrying Railway in the world, overtaking Russia and US, with 1,612 MT of cargo carrying capacity,” the Railway Minister added. He also stated that it reduces pressure on roads and CO2 emissions by 95 per cent and saves oil imports.

The national transporter has also targeted to replace all the old coaches with new coaches over the next three years. “In the last 10 years, we have manufactured 41,000 LHB coaches and in next three years we will replace all the old coaches with new coaches in the entire Rail network,” says Vaishnaw.