The Union railways ministry has sanctioned over Rs 3,000 crore to Southern Railway (SR) for capacity enhancement, which includes doubling of 1,109 km rail track.
Of the proposed amount, SR has set aside Rs 358 crore for doubling of track between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam (26.83 km), and Korukkupet and Ennore (11.95 km) during the current year. Doubling work on 380 km is already complete, an SR spokesperson said.
During the current year, freight earnings increased 20.8 per cent to Rs 1,074.04 crore from Rs 889.09 crore last year. Similarly, earnings from passenger traffic increased 19 per cent. As against an average 50.4 million passengers carried per month last year, the railways have been carrying 56.7 million passengers this year.
This apart, freight loading between April and November during the year 2008-09 increased 18 per cent over last year and 7 per cent over the target. Loading of coal rose 16 per cent, cement 37 per cent, fertiliser 25 per cent and limestone 60 per cent.
In an effort to increase the freight traffic, the Railway Board granted freight discount on cement traffic last month.
Speaking about the electrification projects, the spokesperson said a total of 1,181 km of electrification had been sanctioned for the railway (including Villipuram–Katpadi) of which 320 km was so far complete. Another 178 km will be completed in the current fiscal.