Western Railway has dispatched another goods train to Bangladesh, this time loaded with cloth, chemicals and dyes.
The train was dispatched from Kankariya goods shed based in Ahmedabad division of Western Railway and is headed for Benapole in Bangladesh. The parcel special train will traverse 2,110 km from Kankaria to Benapole. Revenue earned from this train is Rs 30.50 lakh.
This is the second goods train to leave for Bangladesh within a week.
The first train to Bangladesh was loaded with onions and was dispatched from Dhoraji shed of Bhavnagar division. The onion rake covered 2,437 km from Dhoraji to Darshana in Bangladesh. The new freight traffic for Bhavnagar division generated revenue of about Rs 46 lakhs, with possibilities of two more rakes being loaded this month.
Western Railway officials also expect that four to five parcel special trains will be booked for Benapole station very soon.
Significant Freight Loading Increase
WR has seen a remarkable increase in its loading this financial year despite the countrywide lockdown and labour constraints.
WR achieved loading of 65 rakes of Iron & Steel in July 2020. There has been an enormous increase in the loading of mini rakes, with 249 rakes having been loaded in four months from April to July 2020, as against 2 rakes in the same period last year.
WR has loaded 30 rakes of dwarf double-stack containers since the route opened in October 2019. Out of this, 17 rakes were loaded this financial year, with the highest being 6 rakes in July 2020.
Between April and July 2020, 744 two-point destination rakes were loaded as compared to 621 rakes during the corresponding period last year. 11 rakes were loaded from two originating points to a single destination.
In line with the goal of doubling the speed, Western Rly has achieved speed of goods train of 43 km/hr in July, 2020, as compared to 27 km/hr in the previous year.
Western Railways Reaching Out to Businesses
In a bid to boost the freight traffic by Indian Railways, Western Railway has set up multi -disciplinary Business Development Units (BDU) at Zonal Headquarters and its Divisional Units.
Indian Railways also offered incentive schemes to attract freight transporters to tie up with Railways for transportation of their goods and parcels.
Western Railway CPRO Sumit Thakur stated that since the recent BDUs set up on WR, several meetings have been held with 75 customers of Chambers of Commerce Trade & Industries, State Govt officials and handling agents.
He added that WR has assured customers that wherever feasible, concessions will be made like liberal permission for stacking for loading in parcel special train for Bangladesh.