South Central Railway has registered a marginal 1.1 per cent growth in freight loadings in the first three quarters of the current fiscal.
The zone handled 78 million tonnes of originating freight during the period, with its freight earnings touching Rs 5,320 crore, up from Rs 5,260 crore in the first nine months of last fiscal.
Freight loadings were actually down by more than one lakh tonnes till November due to cyclone, but the increase in coal and cement loadings last month made up for the shortfall.
Loading at Krishnapatnam port also increased marginally to 10.1 million tonnes in the three quarters, up from 9.4 million tonnes in the year-ago period. Similarly, shipments from Kakinada port increased 15 per cent at 4.6 million tonnes, up from 3.9 million tonnes.
In terms of gross originating earnings, SC Railway registered a 6.6 per cent growth at Rs 7,691 crore, over Rs 474 crore higher than the earnings in the corresponding period of last fiscal.