The Hindu Business Line : Eastern Rly targets 12% growth in box traffic

MAIDEN SERVICE: Boxtrans Logistics (India) Services Pvt Ltd, a private container train operator, launched its maiden service from the Kassipur goods shed under Eastern Railways on Wednesday. The first rake, which will travel to Loni near Delhi, comprises 90 containers loaded with a variety of items like billets, steel goods, tea etc. — A. Roy Chowdhury

Kolkata April 11 Eastern Railway (ER) hopes to achieve a 12 per cent growth in containerised traffic in 2007-08, almost the same as in 2006-07.

"This year we'll be handling more boxes because of the higher base," according to Mr H.K. Padhee, Chief Operations Manager, ER. In 2006-07, ER's container throughput was 22,191 TEUs compared with 19,882 TEUs in 2005-06.

"In 2007-08, we expect more private container train operators to use the facilities offered by ER," Mr Padhee told Business Line here on Wednesday after flagging off at ER's Cossipore goods shed the first containerised service launched by Boxtrans Logistics (India) Services Pvt Ltd, a private container train operator.

"The Container Corporation of India too will handle larger number of boxes."

In 2006-07, ER handled a total originating revenue-earning freight traffic of 48.8 million tonnes (mt) compared with the target of 51 mt set for the year and 47.07 mt handled in 2005-06. "The shortfall from the target should be attributed to the drop in coal traffic caused largely by the not-so-satisfactory performance of Eastern Coalfields Ltd," he said. "Also, the imported coal handled by ER was less than estimated."

Bets on coal

Coal accounts for more than 70 per cent of ER's total traffic. In 2007-08, ER, according to its Chief Operations Manager, hopes to post 12.5 per cent growth in traffic over the volume actually handled in 2006-07.

"While the details are being finalised, we're pinninga good deal of hope on coal, whose volume will increase because of the increased production by a private coal company catering to the requirements of the power houses in Punjab and higher projections of the throughputs of other items such as cement (a new cement plant is being commissioned near Farakka), finished steel items and stone chips," he added.

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