NEW DELHI: State-run Coal India Ltd is procuring 40 railway rakes for nearly Rs 700 crore with a view to reducing dependence on the Indian Railways or other industrial users with dedicated wagons as the world’s largest coalminer moves towards achieving one billion tonne production-mark by 2026.
The CIL board has approved the investment, which is expected to help the company quickly dispatch coal as production expands progressively because of new mines being opened progressively. Since one rake consists of 59 wagons and can carry 1.4 tonne of coal, CIL can transport 15-16 million tonne of additional coal a year.
Daily loading stood at an average of 236 rakes in 2018-19 and is expected to rise to 400 rakes. The dedicated rakes are to be inducted over two years and will help raise supply to power stations, which suffer when more wagons are booked by other sectors.
