Freight income dips Rs3,901 core in September quarter: Railways

November 01, 2019: The freight earnings of Indian Railway marks a major dip of Rs3,901 crore in the second quarter due to economic slowdown affecting steel and cement sectors and the halted production in flooded coal mines.

Railway’s income from freight in the July-September quarter was Rs25,165.13 crore compared to Rs 29,066.92 crore in April-June quarter reveals a Right to Information reply.

The RTI application filed by Chandra Shekhar Gaur, an activist based in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch, revealed that in the first quarter (April-June) of the financial year 2019-20, the railways earned revenue of Rs 13,398.92 crore from passenger fare. This dipped to Rs 13,243.81 crore in the July-September quarter, says a PTI report. The slowdown has also affected the suburban rail and ticket bookings.

The railway has initiated measures to counter the slowdown. It has waived the "busy season" surcharge on freight, scheme that offers a concession of up to 25 per cent on trains with air-conditioned chair car and executive class sitting and launched initiatives to phase out 30-year-old diesel engines, cut down on fuel bills, generate non-fare revenue and monetise its landholdings.