The railway and coal ministries are redrawing logistics plans to improve the movement of coal to meet the country’s rising power demand during the peak summer time, officials said. The Centre, which has typically struggled with coal transportation for thermal power plants during the April-October period, is expecting a streamlined supply chain this year.
After the completion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) between Punjab and Bihar late last year, the Ministry of Railways will rely extensively on the completed network to avoid another coal crisis. The EDFC is expected to decongest trunk routes like Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction (erstwhile Mughalsarai), which is the most congested point and typically leads to delays of more than six hours on peak passenger/coal transport days.
