The Hindu Business Line : East Coast Railway operations limping back to normalcy

Freight loading and movement of rakes in East Coast Railway (ECoR) is limping back to normalcy, according to a spokesman of ECoR. Last week’s strike by the road transport workers employed by the private contractors having been withdrawn, the road transportation of coal from the pitheads of the Talcher mines to nearest railway sidings have resumed.

“We’re now loading on an average 26 rakes a day at Talcher against the normal around 30,” the spokesman told Business Line over phone from Bhubaneswar. “In the past couple of days, our total daily average loading exceeded 11,000 wagons (in terms of four-wheelers wheelers). The loading at the port levels, Paradip and Visakhapatnam, too has been normal.”

Speed restriction

Also, as it was pointed out, the restriction on the movement of rakes at night on the 450-km long Kottavalasa-Kirandul (K-K) line had been withdrawn, facilitating movement of iron rakes from the National Mineral Development Corporation’s Bailadila mines to Visakhapatnam, though the speed restriction would persist.

Right now, on an average 11-12 rakes per day are being run on the route against the normal 15-16 rakes. The average speed of a loaded rake has been fixed at 20 km per hour against the normal 40-45 kmph, and for an empty 30 kmph against 60-65 kmph, it is learnt.

The speed restriction would persist to enable the drivers of the trains to detect any probable obstruction on the track at night.

Also, at many places, the signalling and the communication systems had been destroyed reportedly by the Maoists who virtually controlled large areas served by the K-K line. As a result, the movement of rakes, particularly on the Dantewala-Kirandul section, had been slow.

Freight target

The spokesman sounded not-so-optimistic about the possibility of ECoR hitting the freight target of 94 million tonnes set for 2007-08. “We’ve lost a sizeable volume of freight traffic during the current fiscal due to a variety of reasons and what is lost is lost forever,” he added.

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