Maintaining the high momentum, Indian Railways' freight loading and earnings in October 2020 crossed last year's figures for the same month despite Covid-19 pandemic.

In October, Railways recorded a total load of 108.16 million tonnes, which is 15 per cent higher compared with last year's figure of 93.75 million tonnes, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Sunday.

During this period, the statement said, Railways earned Rs 10,405.12 crore from freight loading, which is Rs 868.90 crore (9 per cent) higher compared with last year's earnings of Rs 9,536.22 crore.

The 108.16 million tonnes of ferried load included 46.97 million tonnes of coal, 14.68 million tonnes of iron ore, 5.03 million tonnes of foodgrain, 5.93 million tonnes of fertilisers, and 6.62 million tonnes of cement (excluding clinker).

A number of concessions and discounts are offered by Railways to make freight movement on rails very attractive. Improvement in freight movement will be institutionalised and incorporated in the upcoming zero-based time table, the Ministry said.

To attract new business and incentivise existing clients, Railways Ministry has held meetings with top leaders in iron and steel, cement, power, coal, automobiles sectors and logistics service providers.

Also, business development units at zonal and divisional levels and near doubling of freight speed is contributing to a sustainable growth momentum in spite of blocked freight services in Punjab, the Ministry said.

It said that coronavirus pandemic has been provided an opportunity to the Railways to improve all-round efficiency..