SE Railway posts over 14% growth in Apr-Nov earnings

South Eastern Railway has posted over 14% growth in earnings from passenger traffic between April and November this fiscal despite suspension of train movement during night hours at places under its jurisdiction.

During this period, passenger earnings have been to the tune of Rs 739.03 crore as against Rs 644.68 crore during the corresponding period of the last year, reflecting a growth of 14.64%, a South Eastern Railway spokesperson said.

"In fact several of the rescheduled trains mostly bound for Mumbai from Howrah and other western states are continuing to enjoy high patronage," the spokesperson said.

Night movement of train in the zone between Kharagpur- Tatanagar and Rourkela and Kharagpur and Adra were stopped from May last year following the Jnaneshwari train mishap, with Maoists being suspected behind the incident.

The move led to rescheduling of a large number of trains originating both from South Eastern Railway as well as East Coast Railway. The spokesperson said introduction of about seven new long-distance trains in the zone during the period and 10 local trains and running of specials have also contributed to the earning figures.

During the first eight months, the zone carried 174.26 million passengers which is 10.38 million more than the corresponding period of the last year, a growth of 6.33%. Out of total 174.26 million passengers, 81.33 million were suburban and 92.93 million were non-suburban passengers, the spokesperson said.