The Hindu Business Line : Material handling for SAIL — Zonal Railways steeling for higher loads

VARIOUS zonal railways together will be required to handle an estimated 65.06 million tonnes (mt) of traffic, covering coal, iron ore, other raw materials and finished products, of different plants of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in 2005-06 compared to 55.22 mt in 2004-05.

The inward traffic, that is, coal, iron ore, flux and other raw materials, will constitute 51.85 mt (44.29 mt in 2004-05) and the outward traffic of finished steel items 13.21 mt (10.93 mt).

In the inward traffic, the share of coal, it is estimated, will be 20.32 mt in 2005-06 compared to 17.78 mt in 2004-05, thus registering a 14 per cent growth while the throughput of iron ore will be 24.74 mt (20.92 mt), up 18 per cent; flux 6.72 mt (5.55 mt) 21 per cent; and other raw materials at 0.07 mt (0.04 mt) 57 per cent.

The throughput of finished steel (outward traffic) at 13.21 mt ( 10.93 mt) is estimated to be 21 per cent higher.

Of this, the share of iron and steel will be 11.44 mt (9.08 mt) and secondary steel 1.77 mt (1.85 mt).

The figures also include the traffic, both inward and outward, of IISCO, which is to come under the SAIL fold shortly. In 2004-05, IISCO's production of hot metal was 684,000 tonnes, and this is likely to rise to 850,000 this fiscal.

During the same period, the inward traffic is estimated to rise to 3372000 tonnes from 2618000 tonnes in 2004-05 and the outward traffic to 937,000 tonnes, comprising 630,000 tonnes of iron and steel and 307,000 tonnes of secondary steel, from 609,000 tonnes, comprising 326,000 tonnes of iron and steel and 283,000 tonnes of secondary steel, in 2004-05.

The South Eastern Railway (SER) is expected to handle the largest volume of SAIL traffic, at an estimated 32.96 mt in 2005-06 compared to 27.96 mt in 2004-05, followed by the South East Central Railway (SECR) at 17.11 mt (14.73 mt); the East Coast Railway (ECOR) 5.6 mt (4.67 mt); the Eastern Railway (ER) 3.08 mt (2.43 mt); the East Central Railway (ECR) 2.62 mt ( 2.36 mt); the North Western Railway (NWR) 1.38 mt (1.14 mt); and the West Central and Central Railways (WC&CR) together 2.31 mt ( 1.94 mt).

Item-wise, the SER will handle 26.97 mt of raw materials comprising 9.92 mt of coal (8.56 mt), 15.71 mt of iron ore (13.10 mt) and 2.34 mt (1.28 mt) of flux and other raw materials and 5.99 mt (5.02 mt) of finished products. The SECR will move 1.91 mt of coal (1.87 mt), iron ore 9.03 mt of iron ore (7.82 mt); 1.71 mt (1.28 mt ) of flux and other raw materials and 4.46 mt (3.76 mt) of finished products.

The ECOR will handle only coal 5.6 mt (4.67 mt), comprising 5.46 mt (4.52 mt) of imported coal and 0.14 mt (0.15 mt) of boiler coal.

The other zonal railways which, like the ECOR, will not handle any finished products of the SAIL plants will include the ECR, the NWR and the WC&CR.

These Railways will only handle coal and other raw materials for the SAIL plants.

Thus, the ECR will handle 2.24 mt (2.05 mt) of coal, comprising 1.24 mt (1.15 mt) of indigenous coal and one mt (0.9 mt) of boiler coal and 0.38 mt (0.31 mt ) of flux.

The NWR will move only flux of 1.38 mt (1.14 mt) while the NW&CR together will handle 0.33 mt (0.35 mt) of coal, all indigenous, and 1.98 mt (1.59 mt) of flux.

The only other zonal railway, which like the SER and the SECR, will handle both coal and finished items is the ER — 0.32 mt (0.28 mt) of coal, comprising 0.14 mt (0.12 mt) of indigenous coal and 0.18 mt (0.16 mt) of boiler coal and finished products 2.76 mt (2.15 mt).

What will be the additional wagon requirement to move the projected additional volume of traffic?

In 2005-06, the total hot metal production of SAIL plants, including IISCO, is expected to rise to 14.75 mt, up 1.72 mt from 13.03 mt in 2004-05.

To produce the additional 1.7 mt of hot metal, an additional 5 mt of raw materials will have to be moved into various plants.

In other words, the wagon requirement will by higher to handle an additional total 6.7 mt (both hot metal and raw materials). This means an additional 6.7 rakes would be needed every day.

With the Railways insisting on the increased axle load of Box-N freight wagons (cc+8), particularly for loading iron ore, the actual additional wagon requirement may be around six rakes a day or roughly 850 wagons in terms of four-wheelers.

The question which naturally arises in this connection is: Are the various zonal railways geared to provide that many additional wagons? Railway sources point out that never before were the SAIL plants forced to cut down on their production because of the failure on the part of the Railways to place the required number of wagons to move in either raw materials into the steel plants or evacuate the finished items.

If SAIL has succeeded in scaling greater heights in performance in the past couple of years it is also due to the continuous effort of the Railways to meet the additional requirements of the various SAIL plants, it is pointed out.

It will not be very different this year also, it is emphasised.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Air India resumes service to Toronto

Civil aviation takes off on UPA thrust

Talks for bilateral air services with Singapore, HK may resume soon

Qatar Air Sales Manager

Material handling for SAIL — Zonal Railways steeling for higher loads

IRCON Intl bags Rs 64-cr highway project in Nepal