BSP to increase railway facilities

Kolkata: Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) is incresing its railway facilities to meet the additional requirement to be thrown up by the projected increase in rail-borne traffic by 2011-12 when the capacity expansion programme, currently in progress, is expected to be complete.

Right now, the total volume of rail-borne traffic is around 31 million tonnes (mt) annually, comprising 15.4 mt inbound traffic, mostly raw materials, 5.8 mt dispatches (of finished goods) and another 10 mt internal logistics. By 2011-12, the total throughput of inbound and out-bound traffic by rail will rise by 46 per cent to 31 mt, comprising 21 mt of inbound traffic (36 per cent growth) and 10 mt of dispatches (72 per cent growth). The throughput of internal movement might not rise; if at all, it might fall because of streamlining of certain operations.

For example, the commissioning of steel melting shop 3 will render redundant many of the present movement by rail for the SMS 1, it is learnt. BSP has a total of 365 km of railway tracks within the plant; it also has a fleet of 82 locos of various brands such as Czech, Russian, GE and WDS 6 and 625 wagons for internal movement. The length of the railway track is likely to rise by another 50 km or so.

Additional tracks:
For example, each new tippler will require laying of additional 1.5 km of new track and there is a proposal for two new tipplers immediately and the provision for a third one. Also, the construction of a merry-go-round system for transporting coal will also require laying of additional tracks.

A total of 21 new WDS 6 locos will be procured in next three years and four of them have already arrived.

The wagon fleet too will rise by about 25 to 30, according to informed sources.

Rail network:
BSP has already engaged RITES for detailed engineering and technical supervision for augmentation of rail network at the peripheral yard as the complete remodelling of the yard is on the anvil and MECON for augmentation of rail network inside the plant.

South East Central Railway, the Bilaspur-based zonal railway serving BSP, too will expand the Bhilai exchange yard and Maroda station to handle additional traffic, it is learnt.