Railway freight statistics are a good indicator of the overall state of an economy. In April, the amount of freight moved by Indian Railways was 65.4 million tonnes, down 35.3% from a year ago.
Mint explains India’s economic story in a world battered by the covid-19 pandemic. What’s rail freight got to do with economy? Indian Railways moves different commodities such as coal, steel, petroleum, foodgrains and cement across the country.
The total amount of commodities moved indicates the state of economic activity, or the lack of it, as is the case currently.
Unlike gross domestic product data, published once every three months, railway freight data is released every month and can be used as a quick indicator to gauge the state of the