GUWAHATI: Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is taking several steps to increase ease-of-doing business with railways.
Elaborating further, NFR general manager, Sanjive Roy on Friday said that as part of the Indian Railway’s policy to provide more thrust to freight transportation, NFR has taken measures to attract new customers and make transportation through rail easier.
“This has led to increase in freight loading and transportation in comparison to the corresponding period of last year despite the COVID related economic slowdown and restrictions. Apart from constant monitoring of all freight trains to ensure punctual running, facilities and infrastructure in all goods sheds are being improved,” Roy said.
“NFR is taking many pro-active measures to increase freight traffic and enhance revenue. Speedier trains would mean quick turn-around and capability to run more trains. Sectional speed is planned to be increased while speed on loop lines has been raised in 24 stations,” he said.
Average speed of goods trains is now around 49 km per hour as compared to 28 km per hour last year.
“This has resulted in better turn-around of wagons. Release of wagons in August 2020 has so far improved by 16 per cent compared to last year,” he said.
Various steps have also been taken to attract smaller than train-load traffic such as vyapar-mala trains (garland trains) introduced to attract less than rake-load traffic.
One such train from Kishanganj (Delhi) reached Jirania (Tripura) on August 4, 2020 with food grain and pulses.
“Time-tabled parcel special trains have been introduced on several routes,” he said.
“As a result of these initiatives NFR has been able to attract new commodities,” he added.