PTO - Preferential Traffic Order 2024-25

PTO - Preferential Traffic Order   

• Source: The PTO General Order No. 98  (for allotment of Wagons) w.e.f 01.04.2024. Unless canceled earlier, it will remain in force up to 31st March 2025 Click for GO 98

• Section 70 of the Railways Act, 1989 - First comes first to serve - Basis for Booking and transportation of Goods.  No priority or No preference  

 

• Section 71 of Railway Act, 1989 - Orders are issued by Central Government to Railways Administration from time to time - For giving priority or preference to booking and transportation of particular types of commodities in the interest of the Nation / Public in General or for Industrial Development. 

 

• PTO - Preferential Traffic Order - Published by the Central Govt in Gazette and informed the Railway Administration.  

 

• PTO validity - 1 Year.  

 

• The priority route is decided and Goods are carried by that route only

  

Priority	Traffic
A	Military Traffic sponsored by MILRAIL and approved by the Railway Board
B	Emergency Relief works (for natural calamities like floods, drought, earthquakes etc)  - Sponsored by an Officer, not below the rank of Dy.Secretary of Central / State Government or by a Non-Government Organisation. All Food grains except quota traffic notified by the Railway Board.  Levy Sugar for PDS - Public Distribution System & other welfare programs sponsored by FCI - Food Corporation of India / State Govts or their agencies approved by the Railway Board. Proposals for sponsorship of any other commodity by a Central Govt agency  will require specific approval of the Railway Board.
C	1	Coal	i) Sponsoring authority is Public Sector Coal - Accepting authority is ED/RM, Kolkata for ER, ECR, SER, SECR & ECoR  ii) Sponsoring authority is Private coal companies - Accepting authority is COM/CFTM of other Zonal Railways iii) Sponsoring authority is Coal Importers - Accepting authority is PCOM/CFTM of respective Zonal Railways
	2	Iron Ore	Sub - Priority	Traffic Type
			C +	From Customer’s own private siding to his own private siding at unloading end of for domestic manufacturer
			C	One end to other end, the Customer is having his own private siding at either end for domestic manufacture
			C -	One end to the other end, the Customer not owned by him at both ends.
	3	Other than 1 & 2	i) Non - refined Edible Salt - For the States of West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim & Tripura  - Sponsored by the respective State Governments .  For the other States  - The Sponsored by Salt Commissioner & Accepted by the Zonal Railways (Amendment 2 to GO.98 dated 02.08.2024) ii) Common Salt to approved iodization plants - For the States of West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim & Tripura  - Sponsored by the respective State Governments .  For the other States  - The Sponsored by Salt Commissioner & Accepted by the Zonal Railways (Amendment 2 to GO.98 dated 02.08.2024)   iii) Fertilizer - Sponsored by Fertilizer manufacturers / Importers  - Accepted by the Zonal Railways    iv) POL - Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants - Sponsored by Oil companies - Accepted by the Railway Board
D	All other Traffic not included in A, B & C

General Instructions:  

 

•  Block Rake traffic is preferred over Peice-meal Traffic. 

 

•  Traffic will have preference over other Traffic within the same class of Priority in the following order: 

 

1.      Traffic guaranteed under special Schemes 

2.      Traffic in rakes loaded from the Good shed of the station having round the clock working

3.      Traffic booked from Full rake handling siding having mechanized loading facility.

4.      Traffic offered for distance of more than 600 Kms within the same classification  

5.      Single Point Block rakes over two-point / multipoint mini rakes  

6.      Wednesday & Saturday shall be reserved and notified for allotment of rakes as per the ODR - Date of Registration irrespective of the class of priority.   

7.      Monday & Friday will be  nominated two days for according higher priority to traffic covered under Premium Indent Scheme

 

•  Any Traffic under special orders of the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) / Zonal Railways 

Key points for MCQ 

 

1. PTO stands for Preferential Traffic Order 
2. PTO validity - 1 Year   
3. PTO - Issued by Central Govt and published in Gazette
4. No of Priorities under PTO - 4 
5. MIL RAIL - Military wing of the Railways  (Office at Sena Bhawan, Army Hqrs) 
6. Railways Act - Year 1989 (The First act in 1890)
7. PDS stands for Public Distribution System 
8. RMS stands for Raw Material for Steel plants 
9. POL stands for Petroleum, Oil, & Lubricants 
10. ED/RM - Executive Director Rail Movement
11. SCO stands for Salt Commissioner Organization - Hqrs - Jaipur
12. Salt Commissioner is working under DPIIT 
13. DPIIT stands for Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (Ministry of Commerce & Industry)

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Private Cash - Commercial Department

 

Private Cash - Commercial Department

• Source: Click for Private Cash - Railway Board letters 

• Railway Board Master Circular No. 65 of 2013 dated 17.10.2013 

• Commercial manual Para 2429 says   

“Keeping of private cash in station safe, etc., forbidden.—Private cash should not be kept in the railway cash chest, drawers, ticket tubes, cash safes etc. If any such amount or extra cash, whether stated to be private or otherwise, is found by the supervisory staff or inspecting official, it should be remitted to the cash office.

The staff working in booking offices, parcels offices and goods sheds, whose duties actually involve cash transactions with the public, must declare in writing their private cash daily before they take up their duties in the station diary or in the cash book or in a separate register to be maintained for this purpose. The specific categories of staff to whom these instructions apply, will be notified by the railway administrations concerned. 

• Ceiling of Private Cash (Revised in 2013 Oct)

Category	Ceiling of Private Cash
Stationary Staff	Rs. 750
Mobile Staff	Rs. 2000

  

• In case, staff required to carry the amount more than ceiling, specific endorsement with the actual amount carried must be made in the relevant record by the concerned supervisor.  

• Declaration of Private cash in the relevant register - Both in figures and in words. 

• Private Cash - The following categories of staff who handle cash are:

1. Parcel clerk, ECRC, Booking clerk, Goods clerk, Siding clerk

2.  TC, HTC, Chief Inspector of Tickets (Station), TTE, Conductor, Guard, Assistant Guard, CTI, Coach attendant incl: Electrical staff

3. SM, ASM (who are doing commercial work/duty with cash transactions) 

4. Parcel porter, scaleman accompanying TTE 

5. Bill distributors, Asst. Manager, Manager in moving catering units

6. Markmen

7. Supervisors who handle Cash 

• Zonal Railways can add any other categories of the staff to the above list, if they so feel. 

Key Points for MCQ:

1. Ceiling of Private Cash - Stationary staff - Rs.750 

2. Ceiling of Private Cash - Mobile staff - Rs.2000

3. Para 2429 of Commercial Manual 

4. Commercial Circular 65 of 2013 

5. Declaration of Private cash in the relevant register - Both in figures and in words. 

6. Zonal Railways can add any other categories of the staff to the list of staff who declare Private cash, if they so feel.  

End

EOL - Engine On Load - Commercial topic

 

 

EOL - Engine On Load 

 

• Source: New/Revised policy on EOL Freight Marketing Circular 16 of 2023   - In supersession of all the earlier instructions issued on the EOL.

 

• Need of the Circular 16 ?  

1.    Launch of GCT - Gati-Shakti Cargo Terminals.

2.    Amendments to PFT & Private Siding policies.

3.    Addressing operational issues. 

4.    Optimum utilization of Rolling stock. 

5.    Prompt clearance of Freight trains from the Terminals

• EOL stands for Engine On Load. 

 

• What is EOL? A system of operations that would permit the placement and clearance of the rake at the Terminals by the same Locomotive within the time. 

 

• In EOL,  

1.    The Train locomotive will remain available during the loading and/or unloading operations in the Terminal, 

2.     And, wait on Railway’s account (till the free time permitted for loading/unloading 

3.    So as to work the train (rake) immediately after loading/unloading operation is completed.  

• Terminals under EOL means Terminals operated by GCT - Gati-Shakti Terminals, PFT - Private Freight Terminals & Private Sidings.  

• All New Cargo terminals  - preferably operate under EOL.  Exemption only be given under operational/geographical constraints with the consent of Zonal Operating Dept and the personal approval of the DRM.  

  

• Through distance basis:  Terminals notified for charging on Through distance basis can operate under the EOL system of operations. 

 

• Who built facilities for loading/unloading  -  Terminal operators 

 

Conversion: 

A.             Non EOL into EOL 

·        Condition of “Through distance basis”. 

·        Signing an EOL agreement with the Division. 

B.    EOL into Non EOL or Partial EOL

·        Where problems are being faced in effective implementation of EOL system in Terminals due to operational/geographic constraints. 

·        In Division: Should send “Detailed operational justification” with the approval of DRM to the Zonal Hqrs. 

·        In Zonal Hqrs: Joint approval of PCOM & PCMM who will pass a reasoned speaking order. 

·        The Terminal operator will be required to clear all the pending dues and withdraw all pending arbitration/court cases against the Railways. 

 

• What is Partial EOL ? 

1.    Certain Terminals serves old plants and new plants (one of them is under EOL) 

2.    Terminals serve some commodities under EOL (Example: Unloading of Coal) and some commodities under Non EOL (Example: Loading of Fly ash)   

 

• Agreement Signing Authority: 

1.    Railways -   Sr.DCM

2.    Terminal - Legal Representative 

 

• Cost of Commercial Staff borne by the Terminals

 

Terminal Type	Categories	Cost levied
EOL	All	Nil
Non EOL/Partial EOL	GCT	Nil
	PFT/Private Siding	One staff

  

• EHC - Engine Hire Charges: Levied at the notified AIEHC for one Locomotive only for Each Rake  (though multi-Loco or double headed Loco used as per the need of the load)

 

Status of Loading / Unloading	Status of Locomotive	EHC	Remarks
Within Free Time	Present / Absent	Nil
Beyond Free Time	Absent	Nil
	Present	Yes   (From the end of Free Time to the completion of Loading / Unloading	Irrespective of the fact, whether the shunting operations have been performed or not

• Siding Charges - Nil for the EOL Terminals as well as Bulb type Terminals. 

 

• What is Bulb type Terminal? The Terminal where freight is charged on the basis of through distance up to a specified loading or unloading point and not for the entire length of the Terminal. 

Key points for MCQ:

1.    EOL stands for Engine On Load

2.    GCT stands for Gati-Shakti Cargo Terminal

3.    PFT stands for Private Freight Terminal

4.    EHC stands for Engine Hire Charges 

5.    AIEHC stands for All India Engine Hire Charges

6.    New/Revised Freight Marketing Circular 16 of 2023 (on EOL) 

7.    All New Cargo terminals  - preferably operate under EOL.

8.    Conversion of EOL into Non EOL or Partial EOL: Approval of DRM, then Joint Approval of PCOM & PCMM with reasoned Speaking order.

9.    Agreement Signing Authorities: Railways - Sr.DCM and Terminal - Legal Representative. 

10.                    EHC applicable only: Beyond Free time subject to presence of Locomotive during the Loading/Unloading operations at the Terminals.  

11.                    Cost of One Commercial staff borne by the Non EOL Terminals/Partial EOL Terminals of PFT/Private Sidings only. 

12.                    Cost of the Commercial staff - Nil for EOL Terminals of all categories and Non EOL/Partial EOL of GCT. 

13.                    Siding Charges - Nil for the EOL Terminals as well as Bulb type Terminals.  

 

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