Ore export ban hits division of SW Railway

The Mysore division of the South Western Railway has seen its gross earnings from goods transport fall about Rs 115.83 crore over the last three years as a result of the ban on the movement of ore for export.

Its performance highlights of the last four years reveal, after earning the highest of Rs 505.85 crore in 2008-09 from goods, thereafter it has declined to Rs 461.59 crore in 2009-10 and Rs 372.48 crore in 2010-11, showing a overall fall by Rs 133.37 crore. In the last nine months up to January 2012, its earnings in this sector stands at Rs 237.97 crore.

 

Consequently, this has hit its gross earnings. While it earned Rs 631.08 crore in 2008-09, the revenue had fallen to Rs 597.30 crore during 2009-10 and in the subsequent year to Rs 525.25 crore. Its gross earnings over the first three quarters, upto January this year, stands at Rs 378.05 crore.

“The downturn in freight earnings is mainly on account of the ban on movement of ore meant for export,” said an official of the South Western Railway, Mysore Division. “Export quality ore traffic has a longer lead and as such it fetches almost four times the freight vis-a-vis movement within our system,” he said.

Carrying 43.24 million passengers up to January 2012, it earned Rs 120.58 crore. The earnings may touch the previous year’s earnings of Rs 131.56 crore when it carried over 47.41 million passengers.

Though the fall in goods revenue has hit its overall earnings, the division’s earnings in other sectors have seen a growth.

Mysore division carried over 11.15 million more passengers last year than in 2008-09. While 36.26 million commuters travelled in 2008-09, 6.84 million more passengers travelled the next year. Another 4.31 million additional passengers preferred the trains of Mysore division taking the figure to 47.41 million in 2010-11.

This significant increase in passenger travel helped better its earnings as well, from Rs 114.51 crore in 2008-09 to Rs 131.56 crore in 2010-11. In the intervening 2009-10, it earned a passenger revenue of Rs 121.86 crore. This shows that over the last three years, its passenger revenues has gone up Rs 17.05 crore.

Intensified ticket checking has resulted in increase in collection of penalties. In the three-year period, its revenue in this segment has increased by nearly Rs 85 lakh, from Rs 155.66 lakh in 2008-09 to Rs 197.01 lakh in 2009-10 and Rs 240.65 lakh in 2010-11. In the three-quarter period this year, its collection by way of ticket checking stands at Rs 216.47 lakh.

Similarly, other coaching revenue too has seen an increase from Rs 6.34 crore in 2008-09 to Rs 8.26 crore in 2010-11. The earnings in the intervening year of 2009-10 however show a marginal fall to Rs 6.23 crore.

Significantly, the Division has already outperformed in the present December-ending nine months and has earned '8.59 crore.

Another significant achievement is in the segment of sundry earnings which has almost doubled during the nine-month period ('10.01 crore) compared to last year’s '5.59 crore. The present revenue in this segment is almost three times that of 2008-09 when it was '3.20 crore.

The drop in earnings under other coaching, mainly parcel and luggage, is attributed to sudden stoppage of motor cycle traffic being regularly offered by TVS group from their plant near Mysore.