Railways mark increase in freight loading

The railways have registered a significant increase in steel and cement loading in the first quarter of the current fiscal.

While steel loading has gone up by around 25 per cent, handling of cement by the railways has increased by about 30 per cent in the last three months in comparison with the same period last year.

In April this year, the railways loaded 1.46 million tonnes of steel against 1.15 million tonnes last year "" an increase of 26.96 per cent. Similarly, the railways had loaded 5.01 million tonnes of cement last April.

The figure has increased to 6.20 million tonnes. Railway officials are satisfied with this performance as production of finished steel and cement grew by around 8.81 per cent and 11.68 per cent only for the same period.