SCR cash surplus at Rs 2,000cr in FY08

South Central Railway (SCR) reported a cash surplus of Rs 2,000 core during the financial year ended March 31, 2008, on the back of various services including passengers, goods and sundries.

Its apportioned earnings touched Rs 6,830 crore during the year, as against Rs 5,745.66 crore in the previous year, reflecting an increase of 18.9 per cent.

SCR, the third largest zone in the Indian Railways covering a 5734.47-kilometre route length, also witnessed a significant growth in its freight and passenger business.

While the zone's passenger traffic rose 13.3 per cent to 276.10 million during 2007-08, as compared with 243.66 million in the previous year, its freight loading traffic touched 70.17 million tonne (MT), as against 62.23 MT.

Freight earnings reached Rs 3,418 crore over Rs 2,810 crore in the previous year, exceeding the Railway Board's target of Rs 3,330 crore set for the zone during 2007-08. SCR spent around Rs 2,000 crore during the last fiscal for development of projects, as against the initial budget allocation of Rs 1,611 crore.

"The zone recorded a 12.8 per cent growth in originating freight traffic during the 2007-08 fiscal, higher than the Indian Railways' growth of nine per cent. It also exceeded the target of 68.5 MT set by the Railway Board for SCR during the year," HK Padhee, general manager of SCR, told mediapersons here on Thursday.

He said the Railway Board, as part of its efforts to make 16-odd world-class stations across the country, would be inviting proposals to upgrade four stations "� Secunderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Patna "� as world-class railway stations in the first phase.

"Once approved, Secunderabad will become the first world-class station in south India," Padhee said, adding that the Board had decided to invest close to Rs 3,000 crore in the project in a public-private partnership.