BCCL Dispatches First Rake From 5-MTPA Maheshpur Rapid Loading System

Bharat Coking Coal Limited has successfully completed trial rake loading at its Maheshpur Rapid Loading System and dispatched the facility’s first coal rake to NTPC Nabinagar, bringing the company’s first major First Mile Connectivity project closer to regular commercial operation.

The trial loading was completed on 20 September 2026 at the Maheshpur RLS in Jharkhand. The facility has a designed capacity of 5 million tonnes per year and has been developed to shift a larger share of coal evacuation towards mechanised railway loading.

First Rake Sent to NTPC Nabinagar

Following completion of the trial operation, the first rake loaded through the Maheshpur system was dispatched to NTPC Nabinagar.

The successful movement demonstrated that the coal-handling, rapid-loading and railway-connectivity components of the project are now capable of functioning as an integrated evacuation system. The milestone followed completion of railway, safety and operational requirements associated with the project.

BCCL Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Kumar Agarwal was present during the trial operation along with senior company officials, railway representatives and other stakeholders associated with the project.

BCCL’s First First Mile Connectivity Project

The Maheshpur RLS is BCCL’s first First Mile Connectivity project and forms part of the wider Coal India programme to mechanise coal movement between mines, handling facilities and railway networks.

The system is designed to load coal directly into railway rakes at much higher speed than conventional loading arrangements. This reduces intermediate handling and improves the movement of coal from the producing area into the railway network.

The project was developed with support from the Ministry of Coal and Coal India, together with the State Government and Indian Railways.

Long Railway Connectivity Work Reaches Operational Stage

Construction of the Maheshpur silo was completed in January 2020, but the project required associated railway infrastructure before the rapid-loading system could be fully utilised.

BCCL’s own annual reports record the Maheshpur RLS as a 5-MTY facility in the Govindpur Area, with separate investment in the silo and railway siding required for coal evacuation.

The project moved rapidly towards operationalisation during 2026. Rail connectivity with the main railway line was completed on 7 August, followed by completion of Non-Interlocking work on 19 August.

BCCL subsequently awarded operation and maintenance of the silo for five years on 27 August, conducted diesel-engine trials on 9 September and received railway approval for commercial notification on 15 September. These steps culminated in the first trial rake loading on 20 September.

Earlier in September, BCCL also signed a siding agreement with East Central Railway for the Maheshpur Silo project, completing another important institutional requirement for regular railway-based coal evacuation.

Mechanised Loading to Improve Coal Evacuation

Rapid Loading Systems are intended to reduce the time required to load complete railway rakes while improving consistency in coal dispatch.

The Maheshpur facility integrates coal handling, storage and railway loading within a mechanised system instead of relying heavily on slower conventional loading arrangements and multiple intermediate handling stages.

This can improve rake turnaround, increase dispatch capacity and reduce congestion around coal-loading locations. The wider First Mile Connectivity programme also seeks to reduce dependence on road transportation close to mining areas by moving larger volumes of coal through conveyors, silos and dedicated railway infrastructure.

BCCL’s environmental compliance documents had already identified the Maheshpur RLS as the future destination for coal that was being moved through existing sidings, with the intention of diverting dispatches once the new system and railway connection were commissioned.

Maheshpur Strengthens BCCL’s Railway Logistics Network

BCCL has been working to increase rake loading and remove transportation bottlenecks across its mining areas as production and dispatch requirements rise.

Earlier in September, the company reported that rake loading had increased to 25 rakes per day on 6 September, an improvement of eight rakes over the previous day. The Ministry of Coal has been monitoring railway loading across Coal India subsidiaries as part of efforts to maintain reliable coal supply to power stations and other consumers.

The Maheshpur RLS adds dedicated mechanised capacity to that logistics network. With a rated throughput of 5 million tonnes annually, the facility can support higher volumes of direct railway evacuation once regular commercial operations begin.

The first rake to NTPC Nabinagar therefore marks more than the completion of an individual loading trial. It brings BCCL’s first First Mile Connectivity project into the operational phase and gives the company a new mechanised route for moving coal efficiently from the Govindpur Area into the national railway network.

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References

Bharat Coking Coal Limited / Maheshpur RLS operational update — 20 September 2026: Successful trial rake loading and first dispatch to NTPC Nabinagar.

BCCL Annual Report: Maheshpur Rapid Loading System project details, including 5-MTY capacity and development of associated railway siding.

Ministry of Coal / Coal India: First Mile Connectivity programme and railway coal-evacuation initiatives.

East Central Railway–BCCL Siding Agreement — September 2026: Railway connectivity framework supporting the Maheshpur Silo FMC project.

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