The Southern Railway has witnessed a jump in the passenger earnings of ₹7,151 crore resulting in an overall gross revenue of ₹12,020 crore.
In a press release, the Southern Railway said, through the introduction of Vande Bharat and Bharat Gaurav trains, they have been attracting a large number of passengers. Eight new pairs of VB trains services were introduced this year, including Chennai-Coimbatore- Chennai, Tirunelveli-Chennai-Tirunelveli, Vijayawada- Chennai-Vijayawada, Coimbatore- Bengaluru Cantonment-Coimbatore, and Chennai-Mysuru-Chennai services. Also the speed enhancement projects has increased the sectional speed to 130 km per hour for a distance of 145 km from Arakkonam to Jolarpet, as also increasing the sectional speed to 110 kmph in a network spanning 1,272 kms. The speed enhancement has resulted in the transit time of 170 passenger trains getting reduced.
During the financial year 2023-24, doubling projects have been carried out on the stretches — Milavattan-Tuticorin, Tirunelveli-Melappalaiyam, and Aralvaimozhi-Nagercoil junction.
The Southern Railway has raked in ₹3,674 crore in freight earnings, ₹570 crore in other coaching earnings and ₹624 crore in sundry earnings.
