Stating this at a post-budget press conference here, Chairman, Railway Board K C Jena said the railways have consistently maintained an “incremental loading” of more than 60 MT and is now targetting a loading target of 850 MT in 2008-09.  The target of total traffic earnings at Rs 81,901 crore in 2008-09 is 12.6 per cent increase over the revised estimate of 2007-08, Jena said.

The chairman said the thrust of the next year’s budget is to consolidate the position gained so far by equipping the system for higher growth with capacity augmentation playing a key role in the plan.

Investments on Eastern and Western Dedicated freight corridors will commence shortly, Jena said.

“A blue print has been prepared for the higher density network (HDN) of 20,000 km which carries 75 per cent of the total traffic”, Jena said. He said HDN routes which serve core infrastructure industries like coal, steel, iron-ore , cement , containers will be strengthened over the next five years at a cost of Rs 75,000 crore.

Besides increasing capacity, the railways would improve train operations, rationalisation of maintenance practices  and capturing more traffic during “the traditionally lean sessions” of freight traffic with discount offer.