Direct Freight Corridor’s western stretch to be ready by end of FY 24

Travelers heading to Delhi and Mumbai can anticipate faster train journeys as the Gujarat section of the ambitious Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), celebrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a game-changer for 21st-century India, is scheduled for completion by the end of the current fiscal year.

Designed exclusively for freight transportation, the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) will alleviate congestion on the existing Indian Railways network as it opens the pathway for the smooth movement of goods trains along the corridor.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has accomplished 1,279 kilometers of the total 1,506-kilometer-long WDFC stretch, which will link the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) in Mumbai to Dadri.

DFCCIL's Director of Infrastructure, Hari Mohan Gupta, confirmed the completion of the trial run of goods trains on the newly constructed railway electrified section connecting Gothangam to Makarpura in a recent exclusive interview. This railway section, with an estimated cost of around Rs. 3,644 crore, spans 117 kilometers through the Gujarat districts of Surat, Bharuch, and Vadodara. It is poised to witness the regular movement of goods trains in the near future.

Gupta added, "Of the total 565 kilometers within Gujarat, only a 170-kilometer stretch remains pending. We aim to complete it within the current financial year, which ends on March 31, 2024."

"The section connecting New Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Sanand (North) near Ahmedabad has already been commissioned. Approximately 90 trains run daily on this section. All of Gujarat's major ports, including Mundra, Kandla, Pipapav, Dahej, and Hazira, are already connected to the WDFC. Containers that used to take 35 hours to reach Delhi-NCR from Gujarat's ports now arrive in less than 12 hours," Gupta emphasized. This reduction in transportation time has also led to a decrease in logistic costs.

"The work to connect Sanand (N) to Makarpura, a 138-kilometer-long section, is progressing at a brisk pace, and we anticipate its completion within this financial year," he added.

Regarding the Makarpura-Gothangam section, where the trial runs of goods trains have commenced, DFCCIL has connected IR's Gothangam station to DFC Gothangam and DFC Gothangam to DFC Makarpura, which is further linked to IR's Makarpura station.

"As regular goods train operations begin, offloading of goods trains will commence from Gothangam, and commodities will be handed over to IR Makarpura. Besides enhancing freight connectivity, the most significant advantage will be the improvement of passenger train speeds to 160 kilometers per hour. As goods trains divert to DFC, significant time will be available to upgrade the existing railway infrastructure to achieve the 160 kilometers per hour speed," Gupta explained.

With DFCCIL aiming to complete an approximately 30-kilometer stretch from Gothangam to Bhesthan next month, it envisions connecting Makarpura to Gholvad in Maharashtra within the current calendar year.

"We are confident of completing the Gholvad-Saphale section in the current financial year, thereby establishing complete connectivity between Sanand (N) and Saphale," he concluded.

ET