Indian Railways’(IR) growth in freight loading continues with each passing month according to Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman and CEO, Railway Board.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Yadav spoke at length at all issues related to IR be it the freight loading. Passenger services, private train operations or the dedicated freight corridor.
He also spoke at length on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, passenger train operations and the zero base time table.
Indian Railways Freight Loading Performance in November 2020
IR loaded nine per cent more freight in November 2020 as against November 2019 at 109.68 million tons. Yadav observed that IR had been able to increase its loading despite a decrease in coal loading.
This he said was due to the fact that IR had transported more of other commodities like iron, steel, cement, fuel and foodgrains.
Automobile loading growth continued in November 2020. Overall, wagon loading improved by 4.6% in November 2020 as compared to October 2020 despite disruptions caused by Cyclone Nivar at the end of the month.
Indian Railways Passenger Services Status
On passenger trains, Yadav stated that IR was operating at over 50 per cent of the pre-Covid traffic. 908 out of the 1800 mail/express trains are being run as special trains.
Of the 908 specials in operation, 460 had an occupancy level of over 100 per cent. 400 special trains had average occupancy levels of between 50 and 100 per cent. Only 48 trains had occupancy levels of less than 50 per cent of the berths available.
Yadav said that IR was willing to run trains including short-distance passenger trains adding that the decision depended on the comfort level of the concerned state government.
He informed that suburban railways in Mumbai and Kolkata were operating at over 50 per cent capacity.
Resumption of regular train operations
The Chairman of the Railway Board was unwilling to commit a timeline for resumption of full services.
“It is tough to commit a timeline at a point when cases of COVID-19 are rising in some states. We are moving towards normalcy in terms of railway operations, but it will be difficult to give a confirmed date, he said.”
Extra Fares Being Charged on Special Trains
The CRB denied that extra charges were being applied to special trains currently being operated.
“We are not charging any extra fares for bookings in special trains. We are not providing linen and bedrolls because of COVID-19 and out of concern for passengers’ health,” he declared.
“According to a circular from 2015, surcharges are added to festival special trains. However, regular trains running with special numbers right now are not being charged any additional fares, he clarified.”
Zero Base Timetable Rollout Timeline & Plan
When asked about the Zero Base Timetable implementation, the CRB Yadav clarified that a date for rollout was not yet finalized.
“We are rationalizing trains but will ensure that passengers are not affected. We are also reducing the travel time of trains from between half an hour to five/six hours,” Yadav said.
He also explained that train halts were being rationalized in such a way that they are unlikely to cause inconvenience. “We are analyzing stoppages. Once details are finalized, we will release them. We have not taken a decision on when the timetable will be implemented. Sufficient advance notice will be provided when we decide to go ahead with it, Yadav said
To a query on passenger train upgrades to mail/express category, he responded that not all passenger trains will be converted to mail/express category trains. The Railway Board was trying to reduce travel time and are planning to convert passenger services to Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) rakes to speed up services.
“There will be no station where no train stops,” he claimed.
Private Train Operations: Progress and Timelines
On the tender related to private train operations Yadav said that the bids will open on January 29, 2021 with the contracts being finalised by March -end 2021.
He added that private trains would start running two years after the award of tenders.
Progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project
On the issue of land acquisition in the Bullet Train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Yadav said “NHSRCL has finalized one of the biggest EPC contracts in the history of the country. When 86 per cent of the land in Gujarat was acquired and handed over, we decided to go ahead.”
Work on the awarded tenders will begin in the month of December 2020 and completed in four years. Land acquisition in MH is only 22 per cent. Maharashtra officials have promised land acquisition will reach 80 per cent in four months, he added.
Once land acquisition reaches more than 80 per cent, NHSRCL is ready with tender documents and further work will start, he said.
Yadav informed that the proportion of local content in the bullet train contracts had been increased from 42 per cent (as provided in the MoU earlier) to 72 per cent after detailed discussions with the Japanese authorities.
Progress and Commissioning Timelines of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors
Yadav said that 353 km of the Eastern DFC (EDFC) between Khurja and Bhaupur and 306 km section of the Western DFC between Rewari and Madar (near Ajmer) were ready for commissioning.
“We will be diverting all our freight trains on EDFC. This will allow IR to run more trains on this sector. Similarly, Madar-Palanpur will be ready by March 2021. This will connect three ports from Gujarat and it will be a great achievement for the DFC.”
“Due to issues connected related to land acquisition in the state of Maharashtra, Palanpur-Makarpura-JNPT (Mumbai) will be commissioned by June 2022,” he added.
Process underway to finalize more routes
On new Dedicated Freight Corridor Routes, Yadav said that feasibility reports will be prepared by DFCCIL within a year.
“The plan is to see that before 2030, the freight corridors are set up. We are asking consultants to prepare detailed project reports. We should be able to finalize these projects by 2022.”
Progress on Tendering for Manufacturing of Vande Bharat Trainsets
The Chairman was also asked about the status of tendering for the manufacturing of the Vande Bharat trainsets.
“We are expecting to finalize tenders by 15th January after evaluating all criteria through the tender committee. It will be premature of me to comment on anything right now,” he said.
National Rail Plan 2030 To Be Out Soon
“National Rail Plan 2030 is almost ready and will be released by around 15th of December,” announced Yadav.
He added that the NRP 2030 is divided into two parts. One part for works to be completed by 2024 for 2030 traffic requirements and the second part for works to be completed by 2030 to take care of requirements till 2050.
Production Unit Corporatization After Consulting With Employees, Unions
CRB Yadav also announced that RITES is working on the preparation of a detailed project report. “We will discuss the issues with employees and unions. After that we will take further action,” he said.