Gorakhpur: Despite challenges amid the Covid-19 pandemic, North East Railway surpassed the previous year’s record in freight loading, automobile loading and electrification work in FY 2020-21, informed CPRO Pankaj Kumar Singh.
“Electrification work in 70% of the NE Railway area is completed. This year, electrification work has been done on 561.36-km route—highest amount of work in
NER, and second highest in Indian Railway in a financial year so far,” said the CPRO.
“Due to the lockdown in the beginning of FY 2020-21, passenger services were stopped, and only freight services continued to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities. Traditional freight was also affected during the period. NER turned this challenge into an opportunity, and constituted business development units (BDU) at divisional level,” said Singh.
“Automobile transportation in several parts of the country and in Bangladesh started which led to 180% increase in automobile loading in comparison to last FY. Freight loading has increased by 10% in comparison to the previous financial year. In March, freight loading increased by 112%,” he added.
“With the production of 25.93 lakh units of solar energy, Rs 1.02 crore has been saved. In spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, NER completed all important gauge conversion and doubling tasks,” said the CPRO
Besides, NER surpassed the target of Rs 150 crore scrap sale, and made Rs 229.5 crore this year, which is 53% more than the target and 86% more than what was made in the previous FY.