JOIN USRailways in 2009-10 spent 42 paisa out of every rupee it earned towards paying staff wages and allowances and another 17 paisa for meeting pension fund obligations. Fuel is the third biggest expenditure head with 16 per cent of revenues going towards that, as per 2009-10 figures.
Railways earned 65 per cent (or 65 paisa of every rupee) from Goods Traffic (transporting items like coal). Its earnings from passenger tickets was 26 paisa. Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee, who presented the Railway Budget 2011-12 in the parliament today, has projected 10 per cent increase in freight earnings in 2011-12 at Rs 68,620 crore as against Rs 62,489.33 crore revenues from moving goods this fiscal.
Most of the freight revenue came from transporting coal - Rs 24,127.77 crore (in 2009-10), while moving cement earned it Rs 5,668.27 crore, foodgrains Rs 4,358.82 crore, fertiliser Rs 3,606.37 crore, petroleum products Rs 3,473.20 crore and container services brought Rs 3,208.67 crore to its kitty.
Despite no increase in fares, she projects a 16.57 per cent rise in earnings in passenger traffic at Rs 30,456 crore in 2011-12 as against Rs 26,126.47 crore this year. Railway's depreciation reserve fund consumed 2 per cent of the revenues while it paid 6 paisa out of every rupee as dividend to the government. Lease charges and stores consumed four paisa each while nine paisa has been accounted as miscellaneous expenditure.