Freight movement by rail from Krishnapatnam port has nearly tripled from five mt (million tonnes) in FY10 to 14.35 mt in FY 14. Shippers from the Far East save $18 a ton of cargo unloading at Krishnapatnam as against unloading cargo at ports on the Western coast, said PK Srivastava, General Manager, South Central Railway (SCR).

Speaking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of the 10{+t}{+h} convention of the Indian Railways Fan Club Association, Srivastava listed the steps taken to improve operational performance.

SCR earned ₹9,332 crore during April–December 2014 (higher by ₹1,645 crore over the corresponding period of last year, up 21.5 per cent).

The zone’s operating ratio improved from 85 per cent in December 2013 to 78.2 per cent in December 2014 (Operating ratio is the ratio of expense to income. Lower the ratio, better the operational performance). Excerpts:

How did you log 21.5 per cent growth y-o-y?

We improved our loading at Krishnapatnam port from nine rakes per day last year to 22 a day this year. We started loading iron ore bound for Bellary for JSW to improve realisation.

We also ensured smooth entry-exit into the port. The exit (rail line) to Krishnapatnam port was patch doubled. We also doubled and electrified the junction from where the line veers off to Krishnapatnam, in two months.

We convinced the port authorities to implement a merry-go-round. Rakes sent into the port are examined before entry, thus saving time at the port.

Where did you get the workforce (drivers and guards) for this increase in traffic?

Better crew management brought down the pre-departure detention of crew (time gap between the time a driver/guard reports for duty and the time he actually starts working) from 3-4 hours to 40-45 minutes and time taken for crew change from about an hour to just five minutes.

Savings on crew hours actually created 50 per cent extra workforce.

What about congestion at important railway junctions?

Earlier, goods trains lost up to three hours due to congestion at Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Gooty, Secunderabad and Kazipet.

Now, it has been brought down to 10-30 minutes by rationalising movement; compulsory use of platforms for pass through instead of routing the rakes through the yard (as entry-exit via the yard takes about 3-4 hours) and increasing mobility by making loop lines at stations fit for running trains at 30 kmph speed instead of 15 kmph.

What about passenger services?

We deployed extra coaches. Each extra AC coach generates ₹5-7 lakh a day and each non-AC coach about ₹2 lakh. We also reduced the target of ineffective coaches from five to 2.5 per cent without compromising on safety.

What is the status update on gauge conversion of Amlakhurd to Akot section between Akola and Khandwa?

The project cost has increased to ₹1500 crore from about ₹800 crore due to re-alignment for gauge conversion.

This was required because 25 km of the existing section passes through the Ambabara/Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Additional forest land is also needed for gauge conversion.

However, the Maharashtra Forest Department did not give clearance for conversion. An alternate route would entail abandoning 51 km of metre gauge line in the existing alignment and construction of a new line of about 80 km through hilly terrain, besides construction of a tunnel of 6.65 km.

We are in talks with the Members of Parliament of the region to obtain speedy clearance.

What is the expected date of completion of the second bridge over Tungabhadra at Mantralayam Road?

The target is October this year but it is possible to complete it by June.

Published on February 24, 2015