Hubballi SWR logs historic gains in FY26

Hubballi: The Hubballi division of South Western Railway (SWR) recorded its best-ever performance in the financial year 2025-26, achieving historic milestones in freight loading, revenue generation, punctuality, infrastructure strengthening and operational efficiency.SWR said in a press release that the division registered growth across key performance areas while simultaneously undertaking critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance safety and reliability. Division achieved its highest-ever freight loading of 39.49 million tonnes (MT) during 2025-26, surpassing the target of 39.46 MT and registering an impressive 22% growth over the previous financial year's loading of 32.6 MT. This achievement places the Hubballi division as the highest incremental loading division among divisions handling more than 10 MT of freight loading in Indian Railways.The highest-ever monthly loading of 3.78 MT was achieved in Dec 2025, surpassing the previous record of 3.72 MT achieved in March 2017. The division also recorded the highest-ever daily loading of 3,025 wagons on Dec 31, 2025, surpassing the earlier record of 3,001 wagons. Maintaining strong performance till the end of the financial year, March 2026 loading reached 3.7 MT, reflecting sustained growth momentum. Passenger revenue increased to Rs 565.7 crore, compared to Rs 522.9 crore during the previous financial year, registering a growth of 8.1%. Freight revenue also witnessed substantial growth, reaching Rs 3996.2 crore, compared to Rs 3437 crore in the previous year, reflecting a 16.2% increase.Despite large-scale ongoing infrastructure works and maintenance activities, Hubballi division achieved significant improvement in mail/express punctuality, which improved to 93.9% during FY 2025-26, compared to 86.7% during the previous year. To meet increased passenger demand, Hubballi division operated 328 special trains between April 2025 and March 2026, compared to 233 special trains during the corresponding period of last year, registering a 40% increase.Hubballi division achieved highest-ever cargo handling of 112.6MT during the financial year 2025-26, comprising 73.1MT of unloading and 39.4MT of loading, marking a major milestone in freight performance. In addition, division recorded best-ever scrap disposal of 10,547MT in 2025-26, registering a 17.7% year-on-year growth compared to 8,990MT in 2024-25. The scrap disposal generated Rs 32 crore, compared to Rs 29 crore in the previous financial year.