Dedicated Freight Corridor: 40% DFC track to be completed by 2021
40 per cent DFC route expected to be completed by next year Rewari, Kanpur, Khurja, Ajmer, Dadri, Palanpur will connect to Gujarat Most of the sections will be commissioned by March 2022
Indian Railways dedicated freight corridor (DFC) project gets an infrastructural impetus as it will soon witness freight trains operating over its corridors spread across the national network. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), responsible for developing the DFC project, recently announced that Indian Railways will be operating its freight trains on 40 per cent of the corridor by next year. The freight corridor project is one of the largest railway infrastructure projects and is being implemented at a cost of Rs 81,459 crore. RN Singh Managing Director (MD), DFCCIL recently announced that 40 per cent of the DFC route is expected to be completed in 2020-21 which will lead to Rewari, Kanpur, Khurja, Ajmer, Dadri, Palanpur getting connected to Gujarat ports by the end of 2021.
The Western DFC project, which will be 1,504 km long will stretch from J N Port in Mumbai to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh. Whereas, the 1,856 km long Eastern DFC will stretch from Sahnewal in Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal. The operational route which will complete by 2021 will provide a significant boost to the region's industrial growth.
Along with this, most of the sections will be commissioned by March 2022 and the remaining part of the Eastern and Western DFC will get commissioned by June 2022. According to DFFCIL officials, once the Dadri-Rewari section of the DFC is completed, the roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) services of Indian Railways will begin. The Ro-Ro services will contribute to a significant reduction in pollution in the national capital region (NCR). The service will reduce carbon emission and congestion on roads in Delhi.
Apart from Eastern and Western DFC, three more corridors namely, East Coast East-West, and North-South Sub-Corridor are also set for implementation. The surveys for these corridors will be completed by 2021. The DFFCIL officials stated these new corridors are targeted for completion by 2030.
The current status of the ongoing DFC project involves the launching of a girder at the Yamuna River Rail bridge in the Rewari-Dadri section. The construction for a road overbridge in the Rewari district also began with the implementation of girders.
