Although normal running of all passenger carrying trains have been cancelled since the last week of March,2020 due to COVID-19pandemic scenario, NFR is continuously operating freight and parcel carrying trains on24 x 7 basis despite of lockdown and other restrictions. The effort by NFR not only helped to avoid scarcity of essential commodities within its area of operation, but also helped in reviving the local economic activity.
NFR has been able to operate 826 freight carrying trains during the month of June. Accordingly, proportionate goods earnings also showed an improvement.Total goods earnings for the month of June, 2020 was Rs. 172.29 crs againstRs. 160.61 crs during the corresponding month of last year. This increase is very significant considering the lack of economic activities, closure of many factories due to lock-down and various COVID-19 related restrictions.
Initiatives taken by NFR have lead to increase in loading of POL product, Dolomite etc during last month. POL was the highest loaded commodity in NFR with earnings ofRs 41.79 Crs, while loading of Maize was the major contributor of Food-grain traffic by earning an amount of Rs. 34.12 crs last month. Parcel loading has also shown improvement. During the month of June, 2020; 152 Parcel carrying trains were run byNFR to cater the requirement of traders who wanted to carry goods in small quantities.
Various initiatives and efforts taken for improvement have also lead to the increase in average running speed of freight carrying trains. As a result more freight carrying trains could be handled. On 21.06.2020, highest ever numbers of freight rakes were unloaded in a single day when 37 rakes were released.
Freight train movement with Bangladesh also increased very significantly during the month of June, 2020 50 rakes were interchanged with Bangladesh, against 5 rakes in the corresponding month of June, 2019 last year. This is an improvement of 900%and also the ever highest interchange with Bangladesh.
