December 30, 2020
PM Modi inaugurated 351 km of the 1,856 km long EDFC covering the Khurja-Bhaupur section.
This US$ 784.7 million project aims to reduce congestion by 50% on the Khurja-Kanpur trunk rail.
Indian Railways has achieved around 95-96% of previous year’s freight loading.
The DFCIIL will ensure efficient, reliable, safe, and cheaper mobility options.
Recently PM Modi inaugurated a portion (351 km) of one of the key infrastructure projects in the country, the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), on the Khurja-Bhaupur section of the Eastern DFC, at a cost of US$ 784.7 million with an aim to reduce the congestion by nearly 50% on the Khurja-Kanpur trunk rail. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India is building the Eastern and Western DFC, to significantly improve efficiency in freight traffic. The 1,504 km long western dedicated freight corridor runs from J N Port in Mumbai to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and 1,856 km-long Eastern DFC is from Sahnewal near Ludhiana, Punjab to Dankuni, West Bengal.
The inauguration of freight trains on the Khurja-Bhaupur section of the Eastern DFC seeks to reduce the congestion by nearly 50%. Besides the aforesaid, Indian Railways has planned to build new corridors (3,958 km) from north to south (Itarsi-Vijaywada), east to west (Bhusawal-Dankuni, Rajkharsawan-Andal) and along the east coast (Kharagpur-Vijaywada). Construction of these freight corridors significantly represent India’s self-reliance and will indeed benefit industries, businesses, farmers, and consumers alike. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the railways achieved around 95-96% of previous year’s freight loading, benefiting a plethora of manufacturers in different manufacturing sectors like those of garments, locks, car, marble suppliers, basmati rice farmers and others who want to send their products to the rest of the country or export.
The growth of Indian economy has created augmented demands for additional freight capacity. This burgeoning demand led to the conception of the dedicated freight corridors along the Eastern and Western Routes. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) aims to build corridors with appropriate technology enabling Indian railways to recapture its market share of freight transport by ensuring efficient, reliable, safe, and cheaper options for mobility to its customers. With the support of the government, it aims to ensure ecological sustainability by encouraging users to adopt railways as the most amicable mode for their transport requirements.