North Western Railways (NWR) expects to raise its current freight loading capacity to more than double in the next four years with the completion of its infrastructure projects.
NWR, which is an important conduit for movement of import and export traffic from Western Railway ports to North, North Eastern and North Central parts of the country, earned Rs 3,972 crore from freight in last fiscal year of 2013-14 which was Rs 355 crore more than the previous year.
"It is expected that (NWR) railway will have loading potential of 50 million tonne as against 20 million tonne loaded presently with the completion of infrastructural inputs in coming years," NWR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Tarun Jain.
Railway tracks under NWR are a major route for freight traffic from northern hinterland to the western ports of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Jain said commissioning of three state-of-the-art private freight terminals and private sidings will be important infrastructure inputs for improving the freight.
There are 10 proposals for private sidings under advance stage of finalisation in the NWR and these sidings are likely to be completed in next three years, he said.
Important commodities like fertilizer, coal, container, salt food grain, petroleum move by the route under NWR. In addition, loading of cement, clinker, gypsum, salt, phosphate and food grain also take place in NWR.
With the commissioning of a dedicated freight corridor and operationalisation of Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, exponential growth in freight traffic is likely to take place.
"This corridor is 1483 km-long of which about 37 percent will pass through NWR passing through Palanpur-Abu road-Falna- Marwar-Ajmer-Phulera-Ringus-Rewari. The freight earning of NWR was Rs 1,976 crore in 2009-10.
"Apart from the freight, the railway is also working for gauge conversion and electrification of lines (Alwar-Rewari and as per the budget announcements," Jain said.
