Title - SCR reports 23% rise in gross earnings

South Central Railway (SCR) reported a 23 per cent rise in gross earnings to Rs 10,093 crore for 2012-13 compared with Rs 8,207 crore in the previous year.

SCR stated its freight loading of 111.5 million tonnes (mt) during the year was 8 per cent higher than in 2011-12. Earnings from freight increased 28.5 per cent to Rs 7,468 crore, accounting for 74 per cent of the total earnings.

Coal with 62.5 mt constituted 56 per cent of the total freight loading followed by cement (27.6 mt), foodgrains (6.3 mt) and fertilisers (4.8 mt). The spurt in SCR's freight loading is mainly aided by coal from Singareni Collieries and material transported from Krishnapatnam and Kakinada ports.

The offtake of coal from Singareni Collieries stood at 32.6 mt compared with 30.3 mt during 2011-12. Goods, mostly coal and fertilisers, transported from Krishnapatnam and Kakinada ports increased 26 per cent and 36 per cent to 13.05 mt and 5.4 mt respectively.

Even on the passenger front, the SCR stated in a press release, its earnings grew 11 per cent in 2012-13 to Rs 2,236 crore from Rs 2,021 crore in the previous year.

A total of 387 million passengers travelled by trains operated by the SCR. The average daily passenger traffic stood at 1.06 million during the year. It operated 552 special train and attached 9,770 extra coaches benefitting 1 million passengers. The carrying capacity of 22 trains was augmented by attaching 63 additional coaches on a permanent basis.