The Hindu Business Line : ER, SER join hands to regain lost share

While ER is still dependent to a great extent on coal loading to the major power stations in the eastern region, SER, post-trifurcation, is now a profit-making railway.

Kolkata , May 3

BOTH South Eastern Railway (which has since been trifurcated) and Eastern Railway (since bifurcated) are now gearing up in a big way to work as partners in progress with Indian industry, and, accordingly, are going in for technology back-up to beef up freight as well as passenger earnings during 2004-05.

Eastern Railway, in particular, is gearing up to render better service to customers by introducing Web-enabled claims settlement systems and speedy payments through e-banking and clearance of freight through a Payment Gateway.

Both have expressed confidence that industry will now come forward to make full use of the enhanced transport capacity being created during 2004-05.

The key commodities being moved are coal, iron & steel, iron ore, pig iron, cement, stone and jute manufactured items besides general merchandise.

While ER is still dependent to a great extent on coal loading to the major power stations in the eastern region, SER, post-trifurcation, is now a profit-making railway, having generated a surplus of over Rs 500 crore during 2003-04, and has embraced the mineral traffic (iron ore in particular) in a big way.

In a bid to facilitate quicker claims settlement, ER has decided to launch a Web-enabled claims settlement scheme within the next 3 months.

Participating in an interactive session on "Railways: It's services to industry", organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently, Mr Ramesh Chandra, Additional GM, ER, said the online claims settlement system would enable trade and industry to know the status of accident claim and court cases speedily.

Citing the diminishing trend in ER system of claim cases, he said fresh registration during 2003-04 was down at 5,479 from 6,436 in 2002-03.

Claims disposal time came down to 42 days during 2003-04 from 55 days in the previous fiscal, he added. Pointing out that out of court settlement was now encouraged, he said as against 12 in 2003-03, some 123 cases have been settled out of court in 2003-04.

On the status of e-banking payment facility, the GM said a pilot project has been taken up for coal consignment booked from Asansol division to Badarpur thermal power station.

On the payment gateway, wherein funds will be transferred to railway account online, he said the siding clerk will be able to check on payment particulars through a well-laid terminal management system, and will release the paid RR.

Calling for greater coordination between banks and rail customers, he said the railway's banker will confirm payment on Railway Web site to the ER siding office.

On the targets for 2004-05 (originating), Mr Chandra said freight earnings are fixed at Rs 1,223.52 crore against a tonnage of 42 million.

In parcel, earnings are projected at Rs 70 crore, on a business of 3.76 lakh tonnes.

Passenger earnings are expected to touch Rs 900 crore on a volume of 72.87 crore passengers.

Describing SER as a profit-making freight railway, hauling nearly 40 per cent of IR's total freight traffic while accounting for only 16 per cent of the total route kms (prior to trifurcation), Mr Bhandari said the lost market share can be brought back from the road sector only by being highly competitive.

While road vehicles (hauling heavy traffic) have undergone phenomenal improvements in design and road-worthiness over the years, recording a quantum growth in business, no such improvements have been possible with the railway systems, resulting in losing ground gradually.

He said the strategy was to achieve higher productivity through slashed costs.

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Full steam ahead

ER, SER join hands to regain lost share