News

    KOLKATA, FEB 25: Inidan Railways’ incremental freight traffic of 54 million tonnes (mt) as projected for 2010-11 will be lower, marginally though, than the 57 mt projected for 2009-10, In 2008-09, the originating revenue-earning freight traffic was 833 million tonnes (mt) and the throught in the current fiscal (2009-10) , according to the Railway Minister in her Budget speech for 2010-11, will be 890 mt.

   The target for 2010-11 has beet set at 944 mt. But then it is not difficult to guess why. The capacity to move additional revenueearning freight traffic has virtually reached saturation point, more so when so may new passenger trains are being introduced every year with no increase in passenger fares.

  The Minister has announced dedicated high speed passenger corridors (Without caring to examine such service) even as the future of dedicated freight  corridor remains in limbo.

   Ms Banerjee is aware that not everything is hunky-dory on the freight front. She refers to complaints regarding allotment of rakes. particularly for transportation of iron ore, and to takle the problem, promises transparency in allotment and monitoring by no less a person that the Member (Traffic).

    the roll-on-roll off concept, earlier introduced in the konkan Railway, is proposed to be introduced in the zonal railways. However, the costing and pricing models of the Konkan Railway cannot be replicated in the Indian Railways where, thanks to huge overheads, the unit cost per-tonne km of freight is much higher.

   The Railway Minister promises to provide multimodal door-to door service on a trial basis. Inquiries reveal that trial runs in partnership with the Container Corporation of India providing first -mile and last mile connectivity have already taken place.

  The proposal to introduce a premium tatkal service for parcel and freight movement amounts to colecting additional revenue  through the back door.

  There is also a proposal to introduce a modified wagon investment scheme for high-capacity general and special purpose wagons. to facilitate movement of iron ore, coal and cement. It may be noted that the Wagon Investment Scheme was introduced, withdrawn and replaced by another scheme for which there were hardly any takers, and the Terminal Incentive Cum Engine Load Scheme was put on hold.

   There is also a proposal to allow private operators to invest in infrastructure on the lines of container train operators, and runspecial freight trains for commodities such as auto-mobiles, vegetable oils, molasses, chemicals, petrochemicals, fly ash and cement. That  the transportation of containers by rail, thrown open to private operators three years ago, has achieved limited success is now known to many.

  The Railways propose to earn Rs 62,489 crore from freight in 2010-11, up from the revised estimate of Rs 58,176 crore for 2009-10. One should not be surprised if during the course of the year, additional freight revenue is sought to be mopped up through various manipulations such  as changing classification, tinkering with the minimum chargeable weight and modifying the carrying capacity of wagons.