Indian Railways witnessed a marginal improvement in its operating ratio to 98.32% in 2024-25. Total receipts increased to ₹2.65 lakh crore, driven by gains in passenger, goods, and sundry revenue, with freight loading reaching a record 1.61 billio...
By ET Bureau | Updated:
New Delhi: Indian Railways' operating ratio - a key parameter to assess financial performance - improved marginally to 98.32% in 2024-25 from 98.43% in the previous financial year. It implies that the Railway Board spent ₹98.32 to earn ₹100 during the year ending March 31, 2025.
Total expenditure stood at ₹2.63 lakh crore, up from ₹2.52 lakh crore in 2023-24. Total receipts (earnings) amounted to ₹2.65 lakh crore during 2024-25, up from ₹2.56 lakh crore a year ago.
The railways registered gains across passenger, goods and sundry revenue categories. Earnings from passengers stood 6.4% higher year-on-year at ₹75,239 crore.
Income from goods went up 1.7% to cross ₹1.71 lakh crore in 2024-25 from Rs 1.68 lakh crore in the previous year. Sundry revenue - usually from non-fare sources - saw the most improvement, surging 19.8% to cross ₹11,562 crore during 2024-25.
The national transporter posted fresh freight loading and revenue records for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25.
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Freight loading crossed 1.61 billion tonnes, making India's rail network the second largest in terms of freight carried annually, overtaking the US, officials said. China was the only country ahead of India in terms of cargo handled by railways.
Provisional net revenue for the Indian Railways stood at ₹2,342 crore for 2024-25, down from ₹3,259.68 crore in the previous fiscal. The budget for 2025-26 projected net revenue of ₹3,041.31 crore for the fiscal through ₹92,800 crore revenue from passengers and ₹1,88,000 crore from freight.
Indian Railways betters operating ratio to 98.32% for fiscal 2024-25; non-fare revenue tops Rs 11,000 cr
