Waltair Division Marks Republic Day, Tops Freight Growth
The division operated 230 special trains covering over 500 trips and augmented more than 5,800 coaches.
Visakhapatnam: The Waltair division of East Coast Railway celebrated the 77th Republic Day with divisional railway manager Lalit Bohra announcing that the division has emerged as the number one division in Indian railways for incremental growth in freight earnings, recording an exceptional increase of Rs 1,220 crore over the previous year.
Addressing officers and staff during the Republic Day celebrations, Lalit Bohra highlighted that the division achieved a record loading of 66.7 million tonnes, registering nearly 13 per cent growth over the previous best, the highest growth among the top ten divisions.
Goods earnings touched Rs 8,212 crore, reflecting 19 per cent growth, while gross revenue crossed Rs 9,147 crore, marking 17.5 per cent growth over last year and 12 per cent above target.
Passenger services witnessed robust growth with 2.74 crore originating passengers, an 8 per cent increase, and passenger earnings of Rs 703 crore, the highest ever for the division.
The division operated 230 special trains covering over 500 trips and augmented more than 5,800 coaches. During the Sankranti season alone, over 50 special trains with 112 trips were operated.
Major initiatives included permanent augmentation of the Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express from 16 to 20 coaches, introduction of LHB and Vistadome coaches on the Araku route, and conversion of 23 trains to modern LHB rakes.
Infrastructure development continued apace with the completion of 21 kilometres of doubling, 36 kilometres of third line, and 43 kilometres of automatic signalling. Electronic interlocking was commissioned at six stations, while 162 thick web switches were laid.
Safety measures included the KAVACH implementation in 175 locomotives. The division also deployed hot axle box detectors, AI-based overhead equipment monitoring, and introduced "ASC Arjun", an AI-enabled RoboCop at Visakhapatnam station.
Visakhapatnam station achieved Platinum Green Railway Station Certification, while over 1,800 kilowatt-peak of solar capacity was commissioned under the Net Zero Mission, resulting in energy savings exceeding Rs 57 lakh.