South Western Railway is brilliantly loaded, both in terms of freight and finance…

Bengaluru: South Western Railway (SWR) has achieved significant milestones in freight loading, revenue generation, and infrastructure development during the financial year 2024-25, overcoming operational challenges while setting new records, an official release has said.

In terms of financial performance, SWR demonstrated substantial growth across various revenue streams. Passenger revenue surged to ₹3,172.82 crore, an increase from ₹3,090.5 crore in the previous year.

Other coaching revenue rose to ₹335.24 crore, up from ₹328.26 crore, while parcel revenue climbed to ₹166.6 crore compared to ₹157.77 crore last year.

Gross revenue reached an impressive ₹8,340.90 crore, reflecting SWR’s strong financial stability. Commercial sundry revenue saw a notable increase, reaching ₹91.60 crore from ₹78.90 crore in the previous year.

Passenger traffic also witnessed growth, with 165.51 million travellers during the year, surpassing the previous figure of 162.16 million.

SWR recorded a total freight loading of 45.66 million tonnes (MT) in FY 2024-25 – out of 45.66 MT, Hubballi division played a significant role, contributing 32.69 MT, while Mysuru division achieved 10.89 MT, surpassing its target of 10.84 MT and the remaining loading was achieved by Bengaluru Division.

In March 2025, SWR reached its highest monthly originating freight loading of 5.024 MT, marking the best performance of the financial year. The railway zone also set a new benchmark by achieving the highest-ever originating mineral oil loading of 2.56 MT during the year.

Additionally, a record 3,870 eight-wheeler units were loaded in a single day, the highest recorded for the financial year.

Continuing its record-breaking performance, SWR achieved its best-ever mineral oil loading of 2.26 MT, surpassing the previous best of 2.11 MT recorded in 2023-24.

The loading of raw materials for steel plants reached 1.31 MT, exceeding the previous record of 1.10 MT set in 2023-24. Dolomite loading saw a significant rise, reaching 0.113 MT, more than doubling the previous best of 0.052 MT.

Iron ore loading for March 2025 stood at 2.02 MT, the highest for the financial year. The railway also achieved a new milestone in steel loading on 31 March 2025, with 29 rakes and 1,539 units loaded in a single day, setting an all-time high.

SWR also made substantial progress in infrastructure development, strengthening its network to enhance operational efficiency. The electrification of 67.57 route kilometers was completed, bringing the total electrified route length to 3,323 out of 3,692 kilometers under SWR’s jurisdiction.

The zone also successfully commissioned 26.5 kilometers of new railway lines and completed 39.1 kilometers of double lines, further augmenting capacity and connectivity, the release added.