India’s Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs)

 

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs)

  • About
    • DFCs are specialized freight routes that boost transport capacity through faster transit, double-stack container trains, and heavy-haul trains, enhancing supply chains for industries along economic centers and increasing export-import traffic.
    • The Ministry of Railways launched the DFC project in 2006, constructing two main corridors:
      • Eastern DFC (EDFC): Spanning 1,337 km from Sonnagar, Bihar, to Sahnewal, Punjab. This corridor is complete and operational, with feeder routes to coal mines and thermal plants.
      • Western DFC (WDFC): Extending 1,506 km from Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port to Dadri, UP. Currently 93% operational, it serves major ports in Gujarat and is set for full completion by December 2025.
    • As of March 31, 2024, Rs 94,091 crore has been invested in the DFC project (excluding land costs).
  • Need
    • The need for Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) aros
      e due to two main reasons:
      • Overuse of the Golden Quadrilateral: This critical rail network, linking Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Howrah, along with its diagonals, makes up only 16% of routes but handles over 52% of passenger and 58% of freight traffic.
    • Declining Rail Freight Share: To address the Railways' decreasing share in total freight traffic, the National Rail Plan set a goal to increase rail freight's share to 45% by 2030.
                                                                                                                                                                                      
  • In addition to the existing DFCs, four more corridors are proposed:
    • East Coast Corridor: Kharagpur to Vijayawada (1,115 km)
    • East-West Sub-Corridor-I: Palghar to Dankuni (2,073 km)
    • East-West Sub-Corridor-II: Rajkharsawan to Andal (195 km)
    • North-South Sub-Corridor: Vijayawada to Itarsi (975 km)

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