The government said coal transportation through rail-sea-rail (RSR) route almost doubled to 54 million tonnes (MT) in FY24. Coal is carried from mines through this route in order to meet demand of various power plants. This involves movement of coal by rail in two legs — from mines to unloading port, and from subsequent loading port to power plants.
Over the last few years Ministry of Coal has made significant strides in use of the coal Rail-Sea-Rail networks for evacuation of coal in coordination with Railways. As a result, the coal movement which was 28 MT in FY22 has almost doubled to 54 MT in FY24 and is on the increasing trend.
This multi-modal system allows transportation of coal from mines to port and to their end users, while improving logistical efficiencies. This also reduces congestion on the all-rail route (ARR) and ensures lower carbon-footprint. The coal ministry said that it is committed to enhancing the RSR coal evacuation strategy to consistently meet the country’s growing energy demand.
To achieve further increase in RSR mode for coal movement, Indian Railways has notified in February the decision to permit telescopic benefit in freight rate to coal movement to power houses transported from mines of Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its subsidiaries.
