GUWAHATI, Aug 1 - Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has improved the punctuality of trains during recent months.
�Figures from April to July indicate that the punctuality of trains has improved from 67.21 per cent in April to 69.46 per cent in May to 76.3 per cent in June and finally to 81 per cent in July. The overall punctuality during the four months of this fiscal stands at 72 per cent,� NFR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Pranav Jyoti Sharma said.
He said that the zone has taken up a number of steps to improve its punctuality.
�Starting and ending terminals of nine pairs of trains have been interchanged between Guwahati and Kamakhya stations. This has been done with the purpose of decongesting the section between the two stations. Besides, 18 pairs of conventional passenger trains have been converted to DEMU trains. DEMU trains can accelerate and decelerate much faster. Besides, they can move in both directions, which saves time required for reversal of locomotive,� said Sharma.
He added that composition of 28 pairs of long-distance trains leaving from Dibrugarh, Guwahati and Kamakhya stations have been standardised.
�Five trains have been speeded up by reducing running time ranging from 15 minutes to 25 minutes. Stoppage timings of 33 passing trains at the Guwahati station have been rationalized. Timings of three trains have been revised and regular late running trains have been identified and being monitored,� said the official.
The Maligaon-headquartered NFR has also launched special punctuality drives.
�NFR, being a terminal railway, suffers from some inherent disadvantages like late arrival of link trains from other zones resulting in rescheduling, trains becoming out of path due to excessive late taking over from other railways and frequent bandhs and agitations. However, with strict monitoring of trains at the highest level, we have been able to improve their punctuality,� said Sharma.
