The Mysuru division of South Western Railway notched up record freight loading during October, underlining the spurt in economic activity amidst the declining trend in the pandemic.
The division loaded 0.805 million tonnes of freight and the revenue of ₹72.52 crore was the highest monthly turnover, indicating that freight operations entailing transportation of commodities has gained traction.
On the passenger front, steady growth was witnessed at all the important stations across the division, leading to revenue of ₹22.34 crore from transporting 1.54 million passengers in the last month.
The total revenue in the ‘reserved’ segment stood at ₹18.7 crore, the highest ever recorded in a month. The passenger revenue in the first seven months of the current fiscal is ₹87.73 crore.
The division booked a total of 14,938 cases in the month of October for all forms of irregular travel, ticketless travel included, collecting ₹71 lakh as penalty, the highest recorded in a month.
Rahul Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, said the role of the railways in the country’s economic revival, during the pandemic, was pivotal and, therefore, there was no room for complacency.
Manjunath Kanamadi, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, said that a total of 66 rakes containing petroleum products were loaded, marking the best loading of any commodity in the division in a month.
The tonnage recorded growth of 14.18%, and the revenue saw a surge of 44.3%, as compared to the figures of the corresponding month in the last fiscal year. The cumulative freight earnings in the current year - up to October 2021 - stood at ₹381.4 crore.
Inward traffic of 0.329 million tonnes handled in the month was marginally higher compared to 0.306 million tonnes recorded in the corresponding month of last year. The inward commodities with spectral distribution across the division include food grains, fertilizers, and cement and provided fresh impetus for reviving the economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the parcel segment, the division earned revenue of ₹1.38 crore in the month, which is the highest ever monthly revenue.
“It is worth mentioning that several concessions and discounts to the freight customers to make rail transport more attractive even from the point of view of tariff, have helped the division immensely,” he added.
Three rakes were transported under Kisan Rail, launched as per the government’s policy of transporting perishables at 50 per cent subsidy to help protect the farmers from making distress sale and reduce post-harvest losses.
This initiative has enabled small farmers from remote villages to connect to the mainstream market without any middleman. The Business Development Unit (BDU) has immensely contributed to sustainable growth momentum, according to the railway authorities.