Railways posted eight per cent growth in its earnings from freight traffic during the financial year 2009-10 despite missing the loading target by 2 million tonnes. During the financial year, it earned over 57594 crore rupees from freight traffic as compared to 53137.60 crore rupees during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 8.39 per cent. A senior Railway official said, out of the total earnings, it earned 22366.69 crore rupees from transportation of 396.10 million tonnes of coal, followed by 8350.77 crore rupees from 132.72 million tonnes of iron ore for exports, steel plants and for other domestic user. The earnings came even as it posted a shortfall of over 2 MT in freight carried, transporting 887.99 million tonnes of freight traffic during April 2009 March 2010 as against its target of 890 MT. The shortfall was because of the mining scam in Orissa and the resultant clampdown imposed by the State Government to check illegal transportation of minerals.