SCR GM sure of improving performance this fiscal

‘Optimisation of available resources, better scheduling of services and operational practices key to increasing revenues’

South Central Railway General Manager P.K. Srivastava, during an interaction, in Hyderabad on Friday. Photo: Suresh Krishnamoorthy.

Optimisation of available resources, better scheduling of services and operational practices was the way forward for increased revenues, said South Central Railway (SCR) General Manager P.K. Srivastava.

Referring to the improved performance in the current fiscal from April 1, 2014, he said the SCR registered a growth of 21.14 per cent overall (freight and passenger earnings) and stood in No. 2 position. It was next only to the Western Railway that posted a growth of 21.81 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

Hypothetically, he says if revenues of local and suburban passenger transport (Mumbai) were removed from the Western Railways’ financial performance, SCR could claim to be in the No.1 position. “Continuing on the same trend, by reducing downtime on maintenance of freight bogies and passenger coaches, we are sure of improving our performance. I am confident of loading 116 or 117 million tonnes of cargo by the end of the financial year,” he stated.

Asked to explain the confidence and optimism, he said he was betting big on new iron ore traffic at Krishnapatnam Port and the heavy demand for granite from Karimnagar to Kakinada and Krishnapatnam ports for export to China and elsewhere, apart from a lot of clinker movement from cement plants in the Telangana State.

Better scheduling of freight movement means that iron ore or granite or any other cargo is handled only once at the port, with the wagons’ arrival coinciding with that of the cargo ships. “When ships get into a port and leave fast with the cargo on board in a minimum time, it also means savings on demurrage and hence it is a win-win situation,” he explained.

On the passenger front, Mr. Srivastava said that with improved efficiency and reduced downtime of coaches on maintenance, the SCR was able to run 4,761 extra coaches during April, May, June and July, 2014, compared to 1,811 in the corresponding months of 2013. “We were able to do it by tightening maintenance and tracking movement on a dynamic basis, every day,” he said.