Karnataka - Mangalore   

Rail infrastructure of port being uprgaded

Staff Correspondent

The move is to attract potential exporters of bulk cargo

RIGHT ON TRACK: New Mangalore Port Trust authorities are upgrading facilities at the railway siding of the port at Panambur.

MANGALORE: New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) is making efforts to ensure early completion of facilities at its railway siding by the time the Hassan-Mangalore broad-gauge line is commissioned in two months. Its aim is to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to attract potential exporters of bulk cargo such as coal and iron ore.

Platforms

The infrastructure work taken up includes upgrading of 3.6 km of the railway line at the siding, which has been completed at a cost of Rs. 4.4 crores. Work is in progress to construct two 715-metre-long platforms at a cost of Rs. 1.6 crores. These platforms can handle a railway rake of up to 60 wagons. A fully loaded rake can carry cargo weighing 3,600 tonnes.

The NMPT, with assistance from Southern Railways, upgraded 1.7 km of the track at a cost of Rs. 1.3 crores in 2002. The present work of upgrading railway tracks and platforms has been undertaken by port engineers with technical assistance from Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), according to Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, Superintending Engineer (Civil), NMPT.

Engine escape lines

Mr. Madabhavi told The Hindu that the port at present has five lines at the siding. While lines two, three and five are designated platform lines, one and four are engine escape lines. Lines three, four and five were upgraded using pre-stressed concrete sleepers capable of handling a rake of 60 wagons.

He said prior to the upgradation, the port was handling rakes of 40 wagons. While one platform will be dedicated for unloading iron ore fines brought in for exports, the second platform will be used to load imported coal.

He said the siding receives three rakes a day on an average and added that said most of them carry bulk cargo such as iron ore, fertilizers and general cargo such as timber.

These lines and platforms have also been designed to handle railway flats carrying containers and the `Conraj' flats operated by Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR), he addedKudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL) is also developing its private siding on ten acres of land leased to it by NMPT, he said. The KIOCL siding coming up adjacent to the facility put up by port, will have four lines- two platforms and two engine escape lines.

Iron-ore cargo

They will handle the iron-ore cargo that KIOCL intends to procure from Bellary, he said. KIOCL intends to set up a fully mechanised iron-ore handling facility at the siding. The cargo coming on rails from Hospet, Bellary and Chikkanayakanahalli will be transported mechanically to the company's iron ore pellitisation plant located on harbour premises off the port by a conveyor system. This will prevent transportation of ore by road at all stages, he added. He said RITES is executing the work for KIOCL at a cost of Rs. 10 crores.

Encouragement

P. Tamil Vanan, Chairman, New Mangalore Port Trust, added that railway authorities are encouraging institutions such as major ports to develop their railway facilities. Member (Traffic) of Railway Board who visited the port recently was appreciative of the steps taken by us in developing railway infrastructure and we hope to make the best use of it in the future, he said.

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