Southern Railway has witnessed a healthy growth in all fronts -- earnings, loading, safety, punctuality, project commissioning and passenger amenities—during the current financial year 2022-23 said its general manager R N Singh.

The zone has registered 47.46 per cent growth in gross earnings when compared to 2021-22. In freight loading, we have registered a 28 per cent increase over the last year. The punctuality of 93.2 per cent surpassed the Railway Board target of 92 per cent, Mr Singh said after unfurling the National flag on the 74^th Republic day celebrations at the Perambur railway stadium.

The Zone has commissioned 116.32 km of doubling and gauge conversion work as against 35.47 km done during 2021-22. The Railway has enhanced the speed in over 743 route km during this year as against 137 route km done in 2021-22. ( Vande bharat train between Mysore and Chennai is the slowest among the super fast trains run in the country)

Detailing the passenger-oriented developments, Singh said Southern Railway has provided Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) rakes to 16 trains in place of ICF rakes (30 per cent of the total number of trains operated by the railways) and 188 route km was electrified in 2022-23. With this, 87 per cent of route km in the zone has been electrified totaling 4,393 electrified route km till December 2022.

43 level crossing gates have been interlocked thereby increasing the safety at level crossing gate in 2022-23. State-of-the-art electronic interlocking system, conforming to latest international safety standards, have been provided at 21 Railway stations enhancing the reliability of the signaling system. Electric loco shed in Arakkonam has been adjudged as the best performing shed in Indian Railways with least failures in conventional locomotives."