Chennai, May 3 (IANS): Southern Railway closed the first month of the current fiscal growing its freight loading.

According to Southern Railway, the originating freight loading for April was about 3.23 million ton (MT), exceeding the Railway Board's target by 0.462 million tonnes.

During April 2021, Southern Railway had loaded 2.88 MT.

The Zone generated a revenue of Rs 283.36 crore during the month of April 2022, which is over 18 per cent when compared to April 2021 which is the corresponding period of the last financial year.

Coal, which is being transported on priority, has witnessed a loading of 1.581 MT during April 2022 exceeding the Board's target by 24 per cent and over the loading of the previous month, i.e. March 2022 by 19 per cent.

It also contributed to a revenue of Rs 134.15 crore.

According to Southern Railway, the loading of foodgrains, cement, petroleum products, fertilisers, railway material for steel plant also grew last month as against the corresponding period last year.

The Business Development Units of the Zone garnered the traffic of Mutate of Potash (Fertiliser) during the month of April 2022.

A total 1,972 tonnes of the commodity was loaded in wagons and was dispatched from Tuticorin Port Trust to Kovvur in Vijayawada on April 28, 2022, generating a revenue of Rs 35 lakh.