Northeast Frontier Railway records 9.63 per cent rise in freight unloading

Guwahati, Oct 5 (IANS) The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) continues to record consistent growth in freight unloading activities, officials said on Sunday.

NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that in the month of September 2025, NFR unloaded a total of 1,059 freight-carrying rakes, reflecting a 9.63 per cent growth over the 966 rakes handled during the same period last year.

He said that during the month, NFR facilitated the transportation of essential commodities such as FCI (Food Corporation of India) rice, sugar, salt, edible oil, food grains, fertilizers, cement, coal, vegetables, automobiles, tankers and other goods, which were subsequently unloaded at various goods sheds across its jurisdiction.

A significant portion of this freight traffic supports the Northeastern states, the CPRO stated. In September 2025, a total of 595 rakes were unloaded in Assam, out of which 291 rakes carried essential commodities.

During the same period, 83 rakes were unloaded in Tripura, 21 in Nagaland, 7 in Arunachal Pradesh, 20 in Manipur, 2 rakes in Meghalaya and 19 rakes in Mizoram.

Additionally, 179 rakes in West Bengal and 133 rakes in Bihar were also unloaded consisting essential and non-essential commodities within the jurisdiction of the Northeast Frontier Railway during September, 2025.

Regular transportation of essential and other commodities ensures that the daily needs of people are met while also sustaining and boosting the region’s economic activities.

Close monitoring at every level has further helped reduce turnaround time and improve unloading efficiency, Sharma stated.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), one of the 17 railway zones in the country, operates in the northeastern states and in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar.

Meanwhile, in a significant development Mizoram capital Aizawl became the fourth capital city in the Northeast by rail apart from Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ambitious 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project on September 13.

--IANS

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