Chapter 1 Freight services in Indian Railways - Comptroller and ...

Chapter 1 Freight Services in Indian Railways
Facilities in freight terminals
Facilities in freight terminals comprise direct reception and dispatch facility;
all weather cemented/ tarred approach roads etc to enable quicker placement
and removal of rakes and facilities such as a covered shed, mechanical
equipment and weighment to enhance the quality and pace of loading/
unloading operations. IR also envisaged that terminals handling more than 30
rakes per month should have at least three lines for goods operations.
Partly covered shed at Pune goods shed
While planning the annual works programmes IR accorded priority to capacity
enhancement works such as provision of new lines, gauge conversion and
doubling works etc and terminal improvement works were planned to the
extent of the remaining resources available. Allotment of funds towards
Traffic facilities in the annual Budget Estimates also constituted barely 10 per
cent of the allotment towards capital augmentation works, though the
allotment increased from Rs.413.58 crore in 2005-06 to Rs.914.48 crore in
2007-08. Further, IR regularly surrendered about seven to nine percent of the
allotment under Traffic facilities (ranging from Rs.41 crore to Rs.88 crore)
during the three years 2005-08. As such, these basic amenities were not
provided in a substantial number of terminals as shown below thereby
adversely affecting placement, removal, loading/ unloading operations causing
detention to rakes.
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