Railways earnings up 15.3%

The railways' earnings went up by 15.30 per cent to Rs 38,928 crore during April-December 2005, against Rs 33,762 crore during the corresponding period last year.

The total earnings were 4.91 per cent more than the Budget target of Rs 37,108 crore, according to figures released by the ministry today.

The earnings from carrying freight increased by 17.99 per cent to Rs 26,054 crore over Rs 22,081 crore during April-December, 2004. The earnings in this segment surpassed the target by 6.68 per cent.

Revenue from the passenger segment also grew 8.25 per cent during the first eight months of the year to Rs 11,448 crore, compared with Rs 10,575 crore during the same period last year. The total passenger earnings were 2.32 per cent more than the target of Rs 11,180 crore.

The number of passengers who travelled by trains during April-December 2005 grew 6.56 per cent to 4,395 million, against a 4,124-million traffic registered during the same period last year.