The Hindu Business Line : South Eastern Rly to focus on addl freight traffic

Mr V.K. Raina, General Manager of SER, said work had started on three new projects that would mainly facilitate transportation of additional quantities of iron ore.

Kolkata , April 21

South Eastern Railway (SER) proposes to spend more than Rs 750 crore in the current fiscal on various projects and the bulk of the amount, an estimated Rs 450 crore, on creating capacity to haul additional freight traffic.

SER has set the originating freight loading target of 100 million tonnes for 2006-07. In 2005-06, it handled nearly 86 mt and spent about Rs 600 crore on various projects.

New projects

Mr V.K. Raina, General Manager of SER, talking to Business Line here on Thursday, said work had started on three new projects that would mainly facilitate transportation of additional quantities of iron ore. These included doubling of the line (about 30 km) between Padapahar and Deojhar at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore, construction of a third line (30 km) between Monoharpur and Goelkhera at an estimated cost of Rs 186 crore and construction of a 10-km long Rajkharswan bypass at a cost of Rs 17 crore.

"We hope to complete the work on these projects within two to three years", Mr Raina said, adding much would depend on the respective State governments, particularly in the matter of land acquisition.

There would be several projects, mostly smaller types, to augment passenger services also.

Additional sidings

In the current fiscal, SER also proposed to have four additional sidings (loading points) at places such as Deojhar, Murgamahadev, Birmitrapur and Jarauli to bring the total number of sidings under it to 94.

Two of the proposed sidings would be private, he said. Also, more sidings would be brought under electrification.

By July, an additional 47 terminals would be brought under online freight information system bringing the total to 77, with the result that almost all the sidings under SER would be connected on a real-time basis. "It will improve customer satisfaction as well as our efficiency," he added.