The Indian Railways' total freight loading rose 15 percent year-on-year to 1,418.10 million tonne (MT) in 2021-22, the ministry of railways said on April 1.
The transporter earned Rs 1.43 lakh crore of gross freight revenue in 2021-22, which was 15.7 percent higher than 2020-21.
The ministry has raised the target for loading to 1,475 MT in 2022-23, while also increasing the revenue target to Rs 1.65 lakh crore.
“The incremental loading of 185 MT with 15 percent growth is the best ever growth in both absolute and percentage terms. The previous best incremental growth in percentage terms was achieved in the year 1981-82 with 12.9 percent growth. The previous best incremental loading in absolute terms was 66.1 MT achieved more than a decade ago in the year 2005-06,” the ministry said.
The rise in freight loading seen in 2021-22 was mainly on the back of sustained efforts made by the railways to improve the ease of doing business as well as improve the service delivery at competitive prices, the ministry said.
The rise in the earnings was mostly due to a 111 MT incremental growth of coal loading seen in 2021-22. Total coal loading rose to 653.3 MT in 2021-22 from 542.2 MT in the previous year.
The Indian Railways aims to achieve 686.24 MT of coal loading in 2022-23.
Loading of raw material for steel plants (including iron ore) stood at 197.2 MT during the year under review, up from 183.7 MT in 2020-21. Cement and clinker loading also rose from 121.2 MT in fiscal 2020-21 to 138.5 MT in 2021-22.
There was a decline in fertiliser loading during the year from 54.1 MT in fiscal 2020-21 to 49.5 MT in 2021-22. According to the railways, fertiliser demand was subdued due to high international prices.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.