Official data indicates that the Indian Railways netted freight revenue of Rs 5,585 crore in February, registering an increase of 16.41 per cent compared to February 2010, according to Exim News Service.

The rise came about despite a lower growth of 5.87 per cent in freight loading during the period. While the Railways transported 76 million tonnes (mt) of freight in February, it earned Rs 56,073.37 crore of revenue, an increase of 7.76 per cent for the 11-month period.

The growth in loading was also on the lower side, with Railways moving 832.75 mt of cargo, up by just 3.64 per cent year-on-year.

The net tonne kilometres (NTKM), which shows the change in throughput, climbed to 5,48,916 million during April 2010-February 2011, a surge of 3.75 per cent.