Railways carry 667.39 million tonnes of freight during 2005-06

New Delhi, Apr 12 (UNI) The Railways carried 667.39 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during 2005-06, registering an increase of 10.72 per cent over the freight traffic of 602.78 million tonnes transported during the corresponding period last year.

The target for fiscal 2005-06 was 668.00 million tonnes.

Buoyed by the sterling performance of the Railways in the freight transportation, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has set a target of 800 million tonnes of freight loading during the current fiscal.

During March this year, the Railways carried 66.19 million freight traffic, showing an increase of 11.21 per cent over the actual freight traffic of 59.52 million tonnes carried during the same period last year.

The target for March 2006 was 60.19 million tonnes, a Railway Ministry spokesperson today said, quoting provisional figures.

Mr Prasad recently said the dedicated freight corridors, after becoming operational, would usher in a miracle for the Railways.

''The freight corridors will virtually prove to be a goldmine for the Railways,'' he added.

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