Ahmedabad, Aug 1 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Division of Western Railway recorded its highest-ever monthly revenue of Rs 763 crore in July 2026, driven by growth in freight earnings, passenger revenue and operational performance, while also setting new records in freight loading and long-haul train operations.

According to the division, freight operations remained the largest contributor to revenue, generating Rs 584.48 crore during the month, a 5.60 per cent increase over Rs 553.50 crore in July last year.

Passenger revenue rose to Rs 147.05 crore from Rs 144.72 crore, while Other Coaching (OCH) revenue increased by 31.97 per cent to Rs 22 crore.

Parcel earnings stood at Rs 7.16 crore, up 7.83 per cent, and ticket-checking revenue reached Rs 2.10 crore, a 31.25 per cent increase over the previous year.

Naliya Freight Terminal recorded its highest-ever monthly freight revenue at Rs 3.96 crore.

Divisional Railway Manager, Ahmedabad, Ved Prakash, congratulated officers and staff of the Commercial and Operating Departments for the division’s performance during the month.

Freight loading also reached a new high, with an average of 2,908.84 wagons loaded per day, amounting to 4.50 million tonnes during July. This represented a 7.58 per cent increase in tonnage compared with the corresponding month last year.

The division also reported a 13.33 per cent improvement in wagon turnaround. Loading of several key commodities registered significant growth, including coal at 138.81 wagons per day, an increase of 123.67 per cent, fertiliser at 603.97 wagons per day, up 39.43 per cent, and salt at 315.03 wagons per day, an increase of 11.88 per cent.

The Gandhidham section handled an average of 2,267.26 wagons per day, 10.85 per cent higher than a year earlier. The division also reported a record in long-haul operations.

On July 29, the Gandhidham section operated 16 long-haul freight trains in a single day, the highest ever for the section. During the month, 385 long-haul trains were operated, representing a 1,227.58 per cent increase compared with July 2025.

Average daily interchange reached 202.03 trains, while operations at Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) interchange points averaged 95.25 trains per day, up 9.96 per cent.

In business development, railway officials visited Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India’s Vithalapur plant to discuss a proposal for transporting more than 7,500 automobiles and scooters daily by rail.

Adraj Moti and Gopalpur stations on the Kalol-Gandhinagar section were opened for inward and outward goods and parcel traffic.

New freight movements of coal, fertiliser, mixed commodities and container rakes were initiated for destinations including Kota, Rangiya, Nagpur, Delhi, Jaipur and Bhavnagar.

A new automobile traffic service from Maruti Suzuki GCT at Becharaji to Melpakkam, in partnership with M/s Sushila Transport, generated an additional Rs 36.25 lakh in revenue.

The division expanded its non-fare revenue initiatives during the month by awarding new advertising contracts through e-auctions at Sabarmati, Kalol, Ahmedabad and Palanpur stations.

Three-year contracts worth Rs 1.34 crore were awarded for radio taxi and cab services in the circulating areas of Sabarmati and Ahmedabad stations.

A three-year contract valued at Rs 2.12 crore was also awarded for cleaning the C&W Yard and Goods Shed at Gandhidham, while Train Side Vending services were introduced on ordinary trains.

Contracts were awarded for parking facilities at Visnagar and pay-and-use toilet maintenance at Asarwa station. With the addition of a new outlet at Sabarmati under the One Station One Product (OSOP) scheme, the Ahmedabad Division now has 18 OSOP units.

Seven parcel assets were leased for three years, with estimated revenue of Rs 14.87 crore, including Rs 3.31 crore during the current financial year. Passenger services were also expanded during July.

The Ahmedabad Division received its first Amrit Bharat train rake, which has been operating as Train Nos. 09425/09426 Sabarmati-Haridwar Special since July 6.

To manage higher passenger demand, the division operated 56 special train trips and attached 308 additional coaches, benefiting around 85,000 passengers and generating Rs 7.39 crore in revenue.

Ticket-checking drives resulted in penalties totalling Rs 2.10 crore from around 25,000 passengers travelling without valid tickets or irregularly. Eleven special Fortress Check campaigns alone recovered Rs 14.90 lakh.

As part of anti-littering enforcement, nearly 1,200 cases were registered under Section 198, resulting in fines amounting to Rs 3.40 lakh.

Among the month’s notable developments, the division facilitated the transport of a live human heart from Surat to Ahmedabad through a specially created green corridor using a Vande Bharat train on July 31, marking the first such operation in the division’s history and enabling a life-saving transplant.

The division also said its Divisional Railway Manager visited iCreate to encourage the use of artificial intelligence, drones and predictive maintenance technologies in railway operations through start-ups.

A plantation drive held on July 12 targeted the planting of more than eight lakh saplings across 10 locations.

During periods of heavy rainfall and waterlogging, the division diverted 27 trains instead of cancelling services to help passengers reach their destinations.

Food and drinking water were distributed to passengers at Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Dhrangadhra and Viramgam stations during the disruptions.

–IANS

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