ECL inaugurates Dalmia Railway Siding to enhance coal evacuation capacity

New Delhi: Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) has commissioned the Dalmia Railway Siding at its Salanpur Area, strengthening coal evacuation capabilities and rail logistics infrastructure. The new facility is expected to significantly improve the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of coal dispatch from the region.

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The railway siding was inaugurated by ECL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Satish Jha in the presence of Director (Finance) Anzar Alam, Director (Technical/Operations) Niladri Roy, Director (HR) Gunjan Kumar Sinha, Director (Technical/Project & Planning) Girish Gopinathan Nair, and Divisional Railway Manager, Asansol, Sudhir Kumar Sharma. Senior officials and employees of ECL were also present at the event, which was coordinated under the leadership of Dharmendra Kunar Singh, Area General Manager, Salanpur Area.

The commissioning of the siding is a major upgrade to ECL’s coal evacuation infrastructure and is expected to ease logistics constraints in the Salanpur region by enabling faster and more dependable coal movement. With a designed evacuation capacity of 6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), the facility is set to substantially boost dispatch volumes through the rail network.

The newly developed colliery siding comprises two coal-loading platforms, each measuring 650 metres in length, a dedicated railway weighbridge, and a siding route length of 2.25 kilometres, taking the total track length to 4.65 kilometres. Coal loading operations will be carried out using pay loaders, ensuring operational flexibility and efficiency.

Developed at an investment of Rs 110.10 crore, the project was executed by RITES Limited and integrated with the Eastern Railway network under the Asansol Division, with Salanpur designated as the serving station. The project spans a total land area of 70.21 acres, encompassing land belonging to both ECL and Eastern Railway.

The rail-linked infrastructure is expected to reduce dependence on road transport, improve turnaround times, lower logistics costs and promote environmentally sustainable coal movement. The commissioning of the Dalmia Railway Siding reflects ECL’s continued focus on infrastructure-led efficiency, reliable coal supply and enhanced rail-based evacuation in support of the country’s energy security.

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