East Coast Railways, the newly-formed railway zone that covers most of Orissa and northern Andhra Pradesh, is speeding ahead to serve rail users better. If things move as planned, the movement of trains will be smoother, amenities in trains and at stations will be better, and availability of rakes will improve by the end of this decade.
??Rail users will have a new experience in our zone in the next two-to-three years??, said AK Goyal, general manager of ECo Railways. ??Order and cleanliness will prevail in the operation of trains??, he assured.
Goyal?s confidence stems from the fact that ECo Railway has taken many initiatives to improve infrastructure and has launched schemes for better rail operation in the zone.
The doubling work of Vizianagram-Titlagarh, Titlagarh-Kesinga, Narla-Langigarh, and Khurda Road-Delang has been completed. The gauge conversion work of the Nuapada-Gunpur line will be over by March-end this year. The third line between Khurda Road and Barang, and the doubling of Rajathgarh-Baranga and Rajathgarh-Nirugundi are in progress. With the completion of these projects, track congestion will be reduced.
To provide good infrastructure for freight movement, ECo Railway plans to put in place three big multi-modal hubs over an area of 100 acre each. The Orissa government has been moved for allotment of land for these hubs to be located in the three divisions?Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Waltair.
The zonal railway has also decided to launch the XY Operation Scheme to maximise the use of rakes by closely monitoring their movements
??With the hubs coming up and the XY Operations Scheme,the detention of stock and loco will be reduced and there will be an improvement in rake availability??, Goyal says.
To save passengers from last-minute rush for tickets, ECo Railway has decided to make available unreserved tickets at market places in Bhubaneswar and other big cities and towns under the zone through franchise mode.
Bhubaneswar has been listed by the Indian Railways for development of a world-class station. The location of the station depends on availability of land, even though tentatively the Railway authorities have selected Baranga for the purpose.
??The state government has agreed in principle to provide the required land for the project?? , Goyal added.
Meanwhile, ECo Railways has recorded impressive growth in operations and revenue earnings. By the end of November 2007, its total earnings had touched Rs 3,354 crore. While earnings stood at Rs 3,042 crore from originating freight of 59.74 million tonne, revenue was at Rs 312 crore from traffic of 38.28 million passengers. The target for fiscal 2007-08 is 96 mt of freight loading and 51.30 million passengers.
Last year, the zone handled originating freight loading of 83.92 mt and 51.33 million passengers.