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WR GM conducts safety inspection

Visits Boisar goods shed to review mechanization in handling freight During the tough times of Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown, the wheels at Western Railway never stopped working and is always striving for transporting essential goods to various parts of the country. Recently Alok Kansal – General Manager of Western Railway inspected the Churchgate- Boisar section for […]

WR GM conducts safety inspection
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Visits Boisar goods shed to review mechanization in handling freight

During the tough times of Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown, the wheels at Western Railway never stopped working and is always striving for transporting essential goods to various parts of the country.

Recently Alok Kansal – General Manager of Western Railway inspected the Churchgate- Boisar section for safety preparedness & reviewed track & bridge maintenance, signaling system, traction assests and others. GM also reviewed the Swachch Abhiyaan carried out in the section, mapping of scrap, trespassing prevention and passenger amenities on various stations enroute.

Detailed scrutiny of areas of maintenance, infrastructural works, FOBs, ROBs, was carried out while discussing with Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai GVL Satya Kumar and his team of officers. There are pockets of encroachments which are not only in safety zone but also throwing garbage on railway land. GM directed DRM Mumbai to draw an MOU with MCGM to this effect to prevent the garbage dumping on railway tracks making them unsafe too.

Later he visited the Boisar Goods Shed to review the condition of unloading platform and inspected the ongoing works labour restroom/ toilet facility. He also inspected the mechanized unloading of steel consignment.

According to a press release issued by WR CPRO Sumit Thakur, in the view of special emphasis on freight loading, Alok Kansal personally viewed the ongoing works being carried out to related to freight consignments and how to make the process a smooth and faster releases. He also observed the mechanized unloading of steel consignment and interacted with freight customers of JSW and the staff at the Goods Shed.

In his visit to the Boisar Goods Shed, Kansal also suggested that condemned coaches or coach shells can be effectively tried for the purpose of restrooms and toilets. The discussions brought out the probable increase in inward steel consignments & container traffic for which the logistics support and improved mechanized means of handling the consignment is required.

Later, GM also inspected Boisar station, its circulating area and directed to improve various amenities at the station. He also discussed various important issues in this regard with DRM GVL Satya Kumar who briefed the GM of various business acquisition plans to boost the freight.

He further mentioned about mapping of potential customers. In the current financial year, Western Railway has already loaded 551 mini rakes and 828 Two Point destination rakes. In the recent past, Western Railway has set several records of freight loading which includes CONCOR loading its first Tank Container containing Caustic Soda (liquid) to a new destination MVAA Vedanta siding from Ankleshwar on 2nd August, 2020 and loading of first rake of onions for Darshana in Bangladesh from Dhoraji station.

Besides this, Western Railway is also taking initiatives to improve existing Goods Sheds and involvement of Private Sector and Mechanization of Loading and Unloading of goods.

Currently, works like improving the approach road, platform surface, lighting, labour facilities, traders room, covershed repair, circulating area and track lifting are being carried out at various goods sheds across Western Railway jurisdiction. CPRO further stated that leveraging of IT is being done in all applications.

To have a smooth interaction and quick problem solving mechanism between railway and freight customers, Ratlam Division has taken the initiative to develop a freight customer’s interactive mobile application (Android). The unique app, “RAVI” – Rail App for Vyapari Interaction is an effort to provide a digital platform for resolving various issues concerning Goods Sheds and sidings.

This app will enable direct communication with freight customers for all types of problems. GM WR emphasised on the safety, freight loading, improvement to Goods Sheds & increase the speed of freight trains to enable Railway to enhance their revenue and make good on losses which occurred on the account of pandemic.

Western Railway has been making various efforts to boost its freight movement by adding new goods shed, such as at Chhota Udepur station. Against 5 rakes loading of Imported coal during last year, WR is expecting to load 100 rakes in the current year, while against the 40 rakes of steel pipe loaded last year, it is expecting to load 120 rakes of steel pipe this year.

It is worth mentioning that during lockdown, Western Railway achieved best ever loading in Iron & Steel 65 rakes (0.17 MT) in July, 2020 whereas its Previous best was 0.14 MT in January 2019. Western Railway aims to load 60,000 wagons per day which is minimum 20% higher than the present day loading, in the current financial year.

During the Coronavirus Lockdown, Western Railway has loaded 3,720 wagons per day in April-July 2020 and has current average of 4016 wagons per day in the month of August 2020. To boost parcel loading, Western Railway has also come up with various freight incentive schemes.

The railway also plans to increase its parcel traffic to double the present. Currently, Western Railway is heading in Parcel Revenue which consists of 27% of over Indian Railway and loading (32% of Indian Railways) through Time Tabled Parcel Special trains and Milk Tanker rakes also called Kisan Rakes.

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