Operational Efficiency – Eastern Railways fulfills the Ultimate Operating Procedures

While the Upper House of the Parliament has passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2025; Government Of India under the visionary leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi has assured “More Efficiency, Safety, and Empowerment”.  

Honourable Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics & IT, Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, emphasised the bill’s role in empowering field offices, enhancing efficiency, and reinforcing cooperative federalism. He categorically stated that the bill is designed to simplify existing laws and does not diminish the powers of state governments. Instead, it promotes decentralisation by granting full authority to the respective General Managers of each Railway Zones to approve projects up to ₹1,000 crore.

Major Achievements and Reforms in Railways:

Infrastructure Development –

• Over the past 11 years, 34,000 kilometres of new railway tracks have been laid, surpassing Germany’s total rail network.

• Electrification of 45,000 kilometres has been completed, significantly reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

• 50,000 kilometres of old tracks have been replaced with new, high-quality rails.

Safety Enhancements –

• Investment in railway safety has surged from ₹8,000 crore under previous administrations to ₹1.14 lakh crore under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.

• Rail fractures have reduced by 91%, with incidents decreasing from 2,548 in 2013-14 to just a fraction today.

• The introduction of the Kavach safety system, with SIL 4 certification, ensures high-level security in railway operations.

Employment and Capacity Building –

• More than 5,02,000 jobs have been provided under the NDA government, compared to 4,11,000 during the UPA era.

• Large-scale recruitment exams have been conducted transparently, with millions of candidates participating.

• Enhanced training programs on the iGOT platform have seen maximum enrolment from railway employees.

Passenger Amenities and Modernisation –

• 3,10,000 modern toilets have been installed in railway coaches, dramatically improving hygiene standards.

• 558 running rooms for loco pilots are now fully air-conditioned.

• New locomotives are being manufactured with state-of-the-art technology and improved working conditions.

Resonating with the objectives of the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2025, along-with augmenting the relative efficacies, the Ministry of Railways had striven for & achieving the following:                              

NEW RAKE EXAMINATION POINT AT RANAGHAT YARD ENHANCES FREIGHT MOVEMENT EFFICIENCY:

In a significant step towards improving freight movement and expediting the dispatch of freight rakes, a new examination point for goods rakes has been opened in Sealdah Division at Ranaghat Yard. This facility, strategically located near unloading points will play a crucial role in reducing journey times for freight rakes requiring examination, thereby enhancing overall efficiency.

The new rake examination facility at Ranaghat will facilitate quicker inspection and release of empty rakes, enabling their faster turnaround into active freight service. This will contribute to increased freight operations and generate valuable revenue for the Railways

One of the key benefits of this new facility is the expedited release of empty rakes from Cossim Bazar, Sargachhi, Krishnanagar Junction etc. These rakes can now be examined at Ranaghat created by the initiatives of Divisional Railway Manager, Sealdah, significantly reducing their journey time and easing the operational burden on Naihati Yard, which previously served as a major rake examination point.

Furthermore, examined empty rakes can now be directly handed over to Howrah via the Naihati –Bandel link, streamlining the freight handling process. The new examination point at Ranaghat will also contribute to enhancing the overall cargo handling capacity of the region, ensuring more efficient logistics operations and improved freight movement.

This development is expected to provide a major boost to railway freight operations by optimising rake examination and dispatch procedures, reinforcing the commitment of the Railways to ensuring faster, more efficient, and seamless freight transportation.

NEW INTENSIVE WAGON EXAMINATION POINT INTRODUCED AT BALLYGUNGE:

Wagon examination points in Railways are crucial for ensuring safety, operational flexibility and efficiency of traffic by providing a systematic way to identify shortcomings and address potential problems with coaches, thereby preventing accidents, wastage of expenditure and delay in goods operations.

In a bid to streamline goods operations, a new intensive wagon examination point has been commissioned at Ballygunge Line no. 8 for early examination of Goods Wagons manufactured by Hindustan Engineering and Industries Ltd. (HEIL) and Bhartia Electric Steel Company Ltd (BESCO). It’s pertinent to mention here that, both HEIL & BESCO are leading manufacturer of Railway Rolling Stock and components, including wagons, EMU, and Railway castings.

The new examination point at Ballygunge (BLN) has been operationalised and first such newly built rake from HEIL got end to end examined on 13.03.2025.

Benefits: –

1. The movement of newly built empty wagons to examination points at distant points like Naihati  and Chitpur will be stopped, thereby significantly improving mobility of suburban trains.

2. This change will enhance the overall punctuality performance of the Sealdah Division.

3. It will also optimise crew utilisation for running of these empties to train examination points.

The introduction of new Wagon Examination Point at Ballygunge will play a vital role in ensuring safety, maintenance efficiency, regulatory compliance and economic benefits of Railway operations. Under the dynamic leadership of Shri Deepak Nigam, DRM/Sealdah, Sealdah Division is accomplishing one after another milestone in facilitating both passenger and goods train movement for facilitating our esteemed Railway users.

NEW FUELLING POINTS FOR DIESEL LOCOS AT CHITPUR AND RANAGHAT:

Sealdah Division has introduced an innovative measure aimed at decentralizing the fuelling process for diesel locomotives. This initiative marks a significant step towards reducing operational costs, increasing fuel efficiency, and easing traffic congestion on busy railway routes.

Two new fuelling points have been established at Chitpur and Ranaghat, complementing the existing centralized fuelling centre at the Beliaghata Shed. These fuelling stations are equipped to receive High-Speed Diesel (HSD) oil supplied by lorries or other fuel containers, which can then be decanted into reservoirs to service diesel locomotives.

Previously, locomotives operating in and around Chitpur and Ranaghat were required to travel to Beliaghata Shed for fuelling, leading to unnecessary travel time, crew costs, and increased congestion on tracks. With the introduction of these decentralised fuelling stations, diesel locomotives in these areas can now be fuelled locally, significantly reducing the need for long-distance travel.

This strategic move not only leads to savings in operational costs but also has a direct positive impact on the overall efficiency of train operations. The reduction in travel time for fuelling will decrease crew requirements and fuel costs, while simultaneously easing congestion on the tracks. As a result, suburban train services on Sealdah Division will see improved mobility, benefiting millions of daily commuters.

Key Benefits:

• Reduction in Operational Costs: Local fuelling minimizes the need for long-distance travel to the central fuelling point.

• Improved Efficiency: The decentralized fuelling process ensures a faster turnaround time for diesel locomotives.

• Decreased Traffic Congestion: The reduction in train movements to the Beliaghata Shed allows for smoother suburban train services, improving daily commute times for passengers.

• Environmental Impact: The reduction in travel distance also contributes to lower fuel consumption and a reduction in emissions.

Team Maverick