The Hindu Business Line : E. Coast Rly in a fix over meeting freight traffic target

The East Coast Railway (ECoR), a major freight-loading zonal railway, is in a dilemma. The Railway Board, it is learnt, would like it to handle more than 100 million tonnes (mt) of originating freight traffic in 2008-09 as compared to 93.19 mt in 2007-08, but the railway is not sure if such a big jump in throughput is achievable at all. The throughput in the current fiscal, it is estimated, could be up at the best by an additional five mt to reach 98 mt or so.

Coal, limestone traffic

The railway’s apprehension may not be totally unfounded. Its Waltair Division is set to lose an estimated three mt of traffic in the current fiscal.

The commissioning of Gangavaram port, due shortly, will take away coal and limestone traffic currently imported by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) through Visakhapatnam port and transported by the division. From Gangavaram, the import of these items will be transported by the conveyor system to RINL’s plant.

Another source of concern has been the critical law and order situation along the 450-km long Kottavalasa-Kirandul line, also under the Waltair Division. The transportation of iron ore on the route remained totally suspended several times last year, largely due to the Maoist problem. Right now, about 11/12 rakes are being moved a day against the normal 16/17 rakes.

In 2007-08, the ECoR suffered setbacks on several other fronts also. For example, the Maharashtra State Electricity Board has stopped importing power-grade coal through the Visakhapatnam port for its Khaparkheda unit.

The railway used to load about 20 rakes a month on an average for that unit. It is has now come to a halt.

Fertiliser

Also, in March, there was virtually no loading of fertiliser, either imported or domestic, against the normal eight to nine rakes a day. There was hardly any import and the domestic loading was affected because the production at two major Paradip-based fertiliser plants was hit by the skyrocketing of rock phosphate prices in the world market.

Fortunately for ECoR, last year the loading of coal, the single largest item of traffic, particularly at Talcher mines, was satisfactory despite a couple of hold-ups, the daily loading at one point going up to 28.5 rakes.