Vijayawada Division Eyes Higher Freight Growth

Vijayawada: The Vijayawada division of South Coast Railway organised a Business Development Meet with major freight customers on Friday to strengthen industry partnerships, improve logistics efficiency and explore new freight opportunities.

The meeting was chaired by divisional railway manager Mohit Sonakiya in the presence of principal chief operations Manager Vineet Kumar and principal chief commercial manager K. Sambasiva Rao. Representatives of 34 industries dealing in coal, fertilisers, cement, foodgrains, alumina powder, laterite and other bulk commodities attended the meeting.

Addressing the gathering, Sonakiya urged customers to identify new freight streams and make use of the division's expanding freight infrastructure. He stressed innovation, stakeholder engagement and stronger public-private partnerships to sustain freight growth.

Senior divisional commercial manager B. Prasantha Kumar presented the division's freight performance and highlighted customer-centric initiatives, including dynamic freight pricing, lean-season concessions, terminal upgrades, the GatiShakti Multi Modal Cargo Terminal Policy-2026, TEFD rebate schemes and expansion of Electronic In-Motion Weighbridges.

Vineet Kumar assured customers of adequate wagon and locomotive availability while emphasising faster wagon turnaround and improved terminal productivity. Sambasiva Rao stressed the need for regular interaction between railway officials and customers to resolve operational issues.

Customers were also advised to install CCTV surveillance systems at freight terminals and integrate them with railway monitoring platforms to enhance safety.

The Vijayawada division handled over 40.64 million tonnes of freight and earned more than Rs 4,136 crore during 2025-26 through its network of 24 private sidings and terminals and 29 goods sheds.