TIRUCHI
The Tiruchi Railway Division witnessed brisk loading of goods in the current fiscal resulting in a more than two-fold rise in overall earnings. Over one lakh freight wagons were deployed for transportation of various types of goods from different railway stations in the Division up to November in the current financial year.
Coal continues to dominate in respect of freight loading in the Division as compared to other goods in the current year as well. Railway sources said about 5.9 million tonnes of coal was loaded during the period April to November in the current fiscal. The loading of coal was double when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year when 2.8 million tonnes of coal was loaded.
Loading of coal mainly took place from the Karaikal Port falling under Tiruchi Division to other destinations. Transportation of coal was done by deploying over 88,000 wagons. Coal loading alone constituted nearly three-fourth of the overall earnings achieved by the Division.
Coal was followed by foodgrains whose loading was a little over 1.8 million tonnes during the last seven months of the current financial year. Foodgrains were mainly loaded from the delta region including Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Needamangalam, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Kumbakonam and Peralam. There was a marked upswing in terms of loading of foodgrains in the current year leading to two-fold increase in earnings. More than 29,000 wagons were deployed for transportation of foodgrains.
Cement ranked third after coal and foodgrains in respect of freight loading. About 0.48 million tonnes of cement was loaded, also resulting in a rise in total earnings. Other goods loaded included fertiliser, sugar and iron ore. The sources said there was nil movement of iron ore during the previous fiscal. The total earnings of the division through goods loading from April to November this fiscal was ₹527 crore recording a more than two-fold increase as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year when the earnings recorded was ₹227 crore.
A senior railway official said increase in loading of coal at the Karaikal Port, rise in movement of foodgrains and increase in the movements of cement and clinker had led to overall rise in freight loading and earnings in the current year. The overall goods loading up to November in the current fiscal was 8.9 million tonnes while it was 4.8 million tonnes during the corresponding period of the previous year.
Salt loading
After a gap of two decades, loading of salt began in the current fiscal from coastal Nagapattinam. Salt was transported from Nagapattinam to Veldurti Andhra Pradesh. With the broad gauge section from Tiruthuraipoondi to Agasthiyampalli in the Division having been cleared for operation of passenger and freight traffic, loading of salt was expected to resume from Agasthiyampalli.
