South Eastern Railway records 8.87% growth in iron ore loading

KOLKATA: South Eastern Railway, (SER), has achieved a 6.12% growth in freight loading at 113.26 million tonnes in April-February 2012-13 against 106.73 million tonne loaded during the same period last year. The increase in freight loading during the period under review was largely on account of a higher loading of iron ore, the main commodity carried by SER.

It carried 61.50 million tonne of iron ore, a 8.87% growth against 56.49 million tonne of iron ore loaded during the same period last year. SER also recorded a positive growth in loading of coal, and other raw materials to steel plants, pig iron & finished steel as well as cement, food grains and fertilizers.

Incidentally, SER loaded 6.32 million tonne more than the Railway Board's laid down target till February, 2013, an increase of 5.91%.

Earnings from freight traffic have recorded a considerable jump of 10.44% during the first eleven months of the current financial year compared to the corresponding period, last year.

During the eleven months of the current financial year, April 2012 to February 2013, SER earned Rs 7,855.45 crore from freight traffic as against Rs 7,113.09 crore earned from freight sector during the same period last year.