ECoR freight loading up 11% in April-Jan

East Coast Railway (ECoR) has logged 10.8 per cent growth in its originating freight loading during April-January period of this fiscal at 108.19 million tonne (mnt) as against 97.62 mnt handled in the corresponding period of 2011-12.

During January 2013, ECoR loaded 12.66 mnt of freight as against 10.46 mnt loaded in the same month of 2012, thereby achieving growth of 21.1 per cent. The zonal railway's achievement was eight per cent more than the target set by the Railway Board.

With the kind of growth registered in 2012-13 till January-end, ECoR is poised to overshoot the budgetary target of 130 mnt by a handsome margin, said a release.

The record growth in freight traffic has come on the back of coal loading at Paradeep and Dhamra ports at an average of nine rakes and 5.7 rakes respectively. Further, iron ore loading at Kottavalasa-Kirandul Line at an average of 15.2 rakes per day has also been a growth driver.

The best ever coal loading was recorded at Talcher at an average of 35.3 rakes per day.

To provide more comfortable journey for its passengers, ECoR has augmented 85 coaches in six pairs of trains in January 2013. Apart from this, 51 special trains were run by the zonal railway to clear the additional rush of the passengers during January which includes 41 trains from ECoR’s jurisdiction alone.

ECoR carried 73,928 additional passengers in January 2013 alone by running special trains and augmentation of coaches in regular important trains originating from its jurisdiction towards different destinations. Besides, 443,636 additional passengers carried up to December 2012 in the current financial year.

Meanwhile, during the recent cleanliness and anti-spitting drive in its jurisdiction, EcOR penalized 3,338 persons for spitting and littering at Railway premises and collected Rs 2.12 lakh as fine.