Hyderabad / New Delhi, April 17 (FN Representative) Continuing its remarkable performance from FY 2022-23, the South Central Railway (SCR) has achieved a significant milestone by exceeding Rs 20,000 crore in gross originating revenue during FY 2023-24. The SCR recorded Rs 20,339 crore in gross originating revenue during 2023-24, marking the highest-ever earnings since the inception of the Zone, a SCR statement said on Wednesday. One of the primary drivers behind this surge in earnings was the Zone’s proactive approach in meeting passenger demand. The Zone implemented a strategy of continuously monitoring demand across various routes to introduce new trains and special services as needed, as well as augmenting existing trains by attaching extra coaches. In FY 2023-24, a total of 6,921 extra coaches were temporarily attached or augmented to 117 trains to accommodate higher passenger demand.
These initiatives resulted in the Zone achieving its best-ever Originating Passenger Earnings of Rs. 5,731.8 crore. Concurrently, the Zone transported 262.62 million originating passengers during 2023-24, compared to 255.59 million during 2022-23. Another significant contributor to the record originating earnings was the outstanding performance in the freight segment. In FY 2023-24, SCR achieved an originating freight revenue of Rs. 13,620 crore, a 4.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The focus on enhancing freight services included diversifying traffic streams, expanding existing commodity baskets, establishing six new Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals, and inaugurating three new sidings throughout the year. Additionally, substantial improvements were made to numerous essential goods sheds to streamline loading and unloading processes, resulting in SCR achieving its highest-ever originating loading of 141.12 million tonnes.
The SCR also attained its best-ever revenue in other coaching segments during 2023-24, including parcel revenue and ticket checking revenue. The Zone registered Rs. 512 crore in other coaching segments during 2023-24, compared to Rs. 414.87 crore during 2022-23. Additionally, the Zone recorded Rs. 474 crores in sundry earnings, reflecting a 28 per cent increase compared to the previous year’s Rs. 369 crores. General Manager of South Central Railway Arun Kumar Jain commended the efforts of his team of officers and staff for this remarkable achievement. He urged officials to continue their efforts in the current financial year to attain greater success and further enhance the standards of rail transportation for the benefit of passengers.