Question 1. Should RC and SCR have the option of declaring a trip as 'not-for-EOL'?

Can
this be unilaterally decided or should it be a joint decision? What should be the required
advance notice?
Answer: It was a mutual decision of SCR and RC to experiment in order to improve the
turnaround time by adopting the Engine On Load Scheme, under which they had an
agreement that three hours would be the total time in which RC would complete the loading
on the incoming rakes else an hourly penalty of Rs.3800 was fixed if the time was exceeded.
For a Trip to be considered as Engine on load the following conditions were requisite from
RC and SCR
Rajashree Cement:
Getting the material ready and packed before the arrival of the rakes
Have enough quantity of Material ready to be loaded
Complete the loading process on the rakes in stipulated time
SCR:

Allotment of Rakes
Advance notification regarding the rakes availability
Operational preparedness
Appropriate power requirements at the terminals
Provide Terminal Capacity
Compatible Engine availability to handle the loaded rakes

A successful EOL trip would include equal effort from both RC and SCR, therefore declaring
a trip as not-for-EOL unilateral decision based on a mutual contract between RC and SCR.
The advance notice should consider the following from Rajashree Cement:
Capacity of locomotive required for pulling a loaded rake
Quantity of Cement to be loaded
Details of Facilities required for loading and unloading operations to reduce time
Penalty specification in case of extended transit time
The advance notice from SCR should include:
Loading and unloading times ( upper and lower limits)
Transit time
Penalty clauses in case of delays
Pre intimation in case of any cancelations
Question 2.From the time the rake reaches the terminal, what should be the guaranteed time
for engine availability? What should the penalty be on RC if load is not available? What
should the penalty be on SCR if engine is not available? (Currently there is no penalty on
SCR).
Answer: The engine should be made available by SCR within the time frame the rakes are
loaded, in this case its three hours which is mutually agreed upon by both the parties. The
same time should be utilized by SCR to attach the locomotive with the rakes and conducting
a preventive maintenance and other checks before the final departure.

In case the load is not available with RC, it would in turn cause a delay in the process of
loading the rakes and the same penalty that has been pre-decided upon i.e. Rs.3800/hour
should be applicable for RC.
In a situation when the SCR engine is not available despite of the on time loading of the rakes
by RC, SCR should either give reimbursement by some percentage on the carriage charges to
RC, or should bear a penalty same as RC would bear for a delay, which ever amount is less
should be applicable.