Bengaluru: In spite of the second wave of the covid pandemic, the Indian Railways has made the highest-ever loading in the month of May. 

As per railway ministry sources, in May 2021, railways loaded 114.8 MT, which is 9.7 per cent more than May 2019 (104.6 MT).

A look at what the railways transported: 

Items transported during May 2021 include:
1.     54.52 million tonnes of coal
2.     15.12 million tonnes of iron ore
3.     5.61 million tonnes of food grains
4.     3.68 million tonnes of fertilisers
5.     3.18 million tonnes of mineral oil
6.     5.36 million tonnes of cement 
7.    4.2 million tonnes of clinker

It is to be noted that the national transporter, in May 2021, earned Rs 11,604.94 crore from freight loading.

He also stated that the wagon turnaround time has seen an improvement of 26 per cent in this month. "In May, 2021, wagon turnaround time was registered at 4.81 days as compared to 6.46 in May 2019," he said, citing the speed of freight trains being enhanced in the existing network. "Freight speed improvement leads saving of costs for all stake holders. Freight speed has doubled over last 18 months," he said.

He also pointed out that a few zones (around four zones) have registered average speed of freight trains even above 50 kmph.

"Due to geographical conditions, certain sections offer good speeds to freight trains. An average speed of 45.6 kmph has been registered in May 2021 for freight trains which is 26 per cent more as compared to 36.19 Kmph for the same period," he added.