VISAKHAPATNAM: The Waltair division of ECoR ran 250 trips of special trains and a total of 960 extra coaches were attached to various express trains to clear extra rush of passengers during holidays and festivals in 2014-15 and introduced four new trains, said Waltair divisional railway manager Chandralekha Mukherjee.
Speaking at the 60th Railway Week celebrations Tuesday, the DRM gave details of the achievements of the division on various fronts. The Waltair division occupies an important position in the Indian Railways network with its varied terrain and hard working staff, she said. During the last fiscal, the division had faced hardships due to the devastating cyclonic storm Hudhud which ravaged the Railway network and property. At the same time frequent obstructions affected the train operations. However, with the commitment of the hard working personnel, the Waltair division could overcome the hurdles and post a remarkable performance, Chandralekha said.
She said that 54.86 million tonne freight was handled with an earning of Rs 6,159.73 crore, 5.4 per cent higher than the previous fiscal. The originating passenger traffic in 2014-15 was 33.72 million that earned the division Rs 433.15 crore, which is 18.18 per cent higher than the previous corresponding year.
The division lays emphasis on passenger amenities to provide quality service to the passengers with continuous improvement and monitoring. In spite of the funds crunch, many passenger amenity works were carried out, the DRM said.
For the First time in the East Coast Railway, Waltair division has used goods wagons for commercial publicity and also successfully commissioned the electronic Registration of Demand for wagons through web, Chandralekha said. ADRM Madan Lal Meena, officers and staff of the division were present.