BHUBANESWAR: East Coast Railway (ECoR) has surpassed all records of Indian Railways in freight loading in 2023-24.
Railway sources said the zone has loaded 202.111 million tonne (MT) of freight from April 1, 2023, to January 22, 2024, breaking the earlier record of highest freight loading of 191.39 MT during the period in the 2022-23 fiscal.
With this, ECoR became the first zone to cross the milestone of 200 MT of loading for the fifth time in a row. The three divisions of ECoR have contributed greatly to the stupendous feat.
The zone has loaded 121.747 MT coal, 10.65 MT of raw materials to steel plants, 16.398 MT of pig iron and finished steel, 24.018 MT of iron ore, 1.192 MT of cement, 2.415 MT of food grains, 5.235 MT of fertilisers, 2.425 MT of mineral oil, 3.774 MT of freight in containers and 14.358 MT of other goods during the financial year.
A railway spokesperson said, the record freight loading has been achieved despite various challenges due to the remarkable performance of employees with proper planning and coordination with the government sector and industries.
“With an operating ratio of 47 per cent, the ECoR also became the most profitable zone of Indian Railways. The period also saw an increase of average speed of freight trains by over 110 per cent as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year,” he said.
General manager Manoj Sharma has appreciated all railway workmen for the achievement. The credit for the success goes to selfless, dedicated and hardworking workmen. All the departments have their share of contribution, he added.