Staff Reporter

 

A Freight Customer Meeting is being organised at Western Central Railway headquarters, Jabalpur Division, from December 21 to 29, 2024. The meeting was attended by key freight loading customers and aimed at discussing various issues related to the evolving freight industry, including the role of railways and how maximum loading can be achieved through improved services.

 

The meeting was chaired by GM Singh, Principal Chief Operations Manager and Kushal Singh, Principal Chief Commercial Manager with Anurag Pateriya, Chief Freight Traffic Manager, overseeing the proceedings. Representatives from various companies involved in freight loading from Jabalpur Division’s different goods sheds and sidings were also present. The attendees included KP Singh, Ultratech Cement, Manoj Bajpayee from Poonam Industry (for coal loading), Rahul Pandey from Adani Power, Piyush Sharma from JPVN and Varun Gautam and Rupendra from the Iron Ore industry. GM Singh welcomed the esteemed customers and initiated the discussion, addressing the decline in freight traffic compared to last year.

 

He requested that efforts be made in the remaining months of the financial year to make up for this shortfall. Representatives from coal-loading companies shared their plans to increase coal transportation capacity, which is expected to bring additional revenue to WCR, as coal is one of the primary freight items handled by the division. KP Singh informed the meeting that the company is upgrading several plants in line with market demands, including the Maihar Plant in the Jabalpur Division. Once this upgrade is complete, cement loading will increase. He also requested that connectivity be provided from the Sidhi Plant to facilitate railway-based transportation. Representatives from Jupiter Wagon Limited and Deori Siding presented plans for the construction of new containers, which will bring new traffic to WCR Jabalpur Division. They requested facilities to be made available for this purpose. the Chief Freight Traffic Manager directed senior officials from the Jabalpur Division to take necessary actions. In discussions on the reduction in iron ore traffic, Rupendra,