GUWAHATI, June 6 - Despite the Maligaon-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) registering a healthy growth in its revenue intake from passenger and goods traffic during 2016-17, a substantial reduction on sundry earnings brought down the zone�s annual overall total earnings somewhat during the last fiscal.
In the April 2016-March 2017 period, NFR�s total approximate gross earnings on originating basis stood at Rs 3,126.11 crore compared to Rs 3,333.68 crore in 2015-16, registering a fall of 6.23 per cent.
This happened even as total passenger earnings went up by as much as 6.38 per cent to Rs 1,610.58 crore in the last fiscal as compared to Rs 1,514.05 crore in 2015-16.
Similarly, after a big slump during the last few years, revenue from goods traffic also witnessed growth in 2016-17. As per data available, goods earnings of NFR went up by almost five per cent to Rs 1,206.67 crore in the financial year-ended March 31, 2017, as against Rs 1,149.85 crore in the previous fiscal.
Earnings from other avenues too fell by 3.53 per cent year-on-year in 2016-17 to Rs 209.24 crore compared to Rs 216.89 crore in the previous year.
However, sundry earnings turned out to be the weakest spot for NFR during the last financial year. Sundry earnings registered a huge slump of 78 per cent and fell to a mere Rs 99.62 crore in 2016-17 as against Rs 452.89 crore in 2015-16.
According to NFR sources, the slump can be attributed to fall in profits from lease of property and sale of scrap material, among other factors.
�However, with proper planning, the sundry sector can be revived and revenue generation from it can substantially improve during this fiscal,� said an official.
The total approximate number of passengers booked during 2016-17 fiscal went up by 6.52 per cent on an annual basis to 101.94 million from 94.95 million during the April 2015-March 2016 period.
�While the fall in total earnings can be attributed to fall in sundry earnings, on the positive side both passenger and freight revenue have gone up. We expect the situation to improve further this year,� said the official.
He added that the ongoing expansion of the railway network in the region and double-tracking of the railway line will boost both passenger and goods segments even further.
�Steps have also been taken to generate more revenue from passenger traffic and provide better short distance service with the introduction of DEMU trains to cater to the local and suburban commuters,� he said.
Meanwhile, the total approximate gross earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis registered a marginal decline on an annual basis and stood at Rs 1,63,718 crore during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.
