SECR is predominantly freight traffic with no. of freight trains being twice the number of passenger trains.
Freight traffic on BSP-DURG, & BSP-JSG is higher than Durg-NGP due to Heavy coal traffic from SECL ( Korba, Chirimiri region) Bhilai Steel Plant and many other Power plants/ large industries. So tripling started about 2 decades back which, quite slowly, is almost at the verge of completion. Anuppur-KTE, BSP-Anuppur have heavy coal traffic but poor terrain limits its sectional capacity. Durg-RJN tripling is going on at leisurely place since about 3 years. RJN-NGP tripling project is being taken up. I have stressed earlier that SECR had received ridiculously low investments in spite of being the most profitable zone with OR of about...
more... 50. Little funds were allocated to highly profitable SECR capacity augmentation projects and many a times they too were diverted to loss making projects of some VIP area.
Earlier the allocations had been on the basis of the political dispensation of IR, with area of RM getting lions share and rest was shared between remaining states roughly in proportion to the weightage/activism of respective PRs. There was a time when very high amounts almost 50% of total new lines of IR were allocated to Kolkata Metro which had a negative rate of return (OR about 250-300) but not today. Financial consideration no where in picture.
With Mr. prabhu as RM, he has delegated most of financial powers of RM to Rly officials esp. GMs & DRMs. The power of Officials have increased like never before. If politicisation has decreased with reduced interference of RM, there is another old problem in IR which is likely to increase if not checked, i.e. departmentalism. Now Rly officials with typical Head Qtr orientation being more powerful, the favor may shift more to places of Rly officials (i.e. divisional & zonal HQs) which find favour by new trains, more reservation quota, better stations, & other facilities. HQs may find more favor than before in project proposal too. One thing is evident that in last couple of years, SECR is pressing more to develop KTE-BSP-JSG route over JSG-BSP-NGP route in spite of the fact that the terrain of BSP-KTE is mountainous and train operation shall be costlier than flat BSP-NGP section. In other words there are chances that zones may work with more focus on zonal interest rather in national interest.
New lines/trains, doublings etc BSP-JSG tripling is going on. Even before tripling is completed, the SECR is pressing for quadrupling rather than tripling of Durg-NGP is a bit surprising esp. when SHS train is proposed on BSP-NGP. And for BSP-Durg section SECR officials plan to develop & use third line for 160 kmph train.