|
PM Inaugurates 326-km WDFC Sections in Gujarat-Maharashtra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the last three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) in Vadodara, marking completion of the 1,506-km WDFC. The inauguration completes India’s two dedicated freight corridors network at 2,843 km, with the newly operational stretch providing direct connectivity to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).
Dedicated Freight Corridors & Western Dedicated Freight Corridor:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Dedicated Freight Corridors | Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) comprise rail routes built exclusively for goods traffic, separated from the passenger network. |
| Capacity utilisation on trunk routes | India’s two busiest trunk routes, Howrah-Delhi on the eastern side and Mumbai-Delhi on the western side, comprise line capacity utilisation ranging between 115% and 150%. |
| WDFC length and route | The WDFC comprises 1,506 km, running from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, near Delhi. |
| Inaugurated WDFC sections | The inaugurated WDFC sections comprise: New Sanand (N) to New Makarpura; New Umbergaon to New Saphale; New Saphale to New JNPT. |
| WDFC port connectivity | The WDFC provides for direct connectivity to JNPT with the stretch between Vaitarna (Saphale) and JNPT now operational. |
| Total dedicated freight network | The dedicated freight network comprises 2,843 km across the two corridors, carrying about 426 freight trains daily. |
| WDFC traffic and terminals | Traffic on the WDFC comprises mainly ISO containers from JNPT and Mumbai Port in Maharashtra, and from Pipavav, Mundra, and Kandla ports in Gujarat, headed for Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in north India primarily at Tughlakabad in Delhi, Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, Dhandari Kalan in Punjab, and Khatuwas in Rajasthan. |
| WDFC freight commodities | The WDFC comprises expected freight such as fertilisers, foodgrain, salt, coal, iron, steel, and cement. |
| EDFC length and route | The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) comprises 1,337 km, running from Ludhiana in Punjab to Sonnagar in Bihar. |
| EDFC traffic profile | The EDFC comprises mostly coal and mineral traffic from eastern India. |
| EDFC segments | The EDFC comprises two segments: an electrified double-line segment of 936 km between Sonnagar and Dadri, and an electrified single-track segment of 401 km between Ludhiana (Sahnewal) and Khurja. |
| EDFC commissioning status | The EDFC has been fully commissioned in October 2023. |
| EDFC alignment bypass | The EDFC alignment comprises a detour to bypass densely populated towns including Mirzapur, Allahabad, Kanpur, Etawah, Firozabad, Tundla, Hathras, Aligarh, Hapur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Ambala, Rajpura, Sirhind, Doraha, and Sahnewal. |
| Implementing entity | The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) comprises a special purpose vehicle incorporated in 2006. |
| Financing sources | Project financing comprises debt funding from the World Bank (₹14,900 crore) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (₹38,722 crore), and gross budgetary support for the remaining amount. |
| Average speed on DFCs | Railways data provides for average speeds of trains on DFCs being over 50 kmph, roughly double the average speed of freight trains on the non-DFC network. |
| Recorded speeds in April and May | Recorded speeds comprise: EDFC at 44.9 kmph (April) and 44.7 kmph (May), and WDFC at 53.6 kmph (April) and 52.3 kmph (May). |
| Freight revenue share in Indian Railways | Freight services comprise over 65% of total earnings of Indian Railways. |
| Rail freight modal share and National Rail Plan target | The National Rail Plan provides for a target of 45% rail share of freight traffic by 2030, while the current rail share comprises around 27%, and the 45% target comprises an equivalent of 3,000 million tonnes. |
| Highest ever loading | The highest ever loading comprises 1,670 million tonnes in 2025-26. |
| Road freight concentration along DFC routes | National Highways running along the DFC routes comprise 0.5% of India’s road network, yet they carry almost 40% of total road freight. |
| Third dedicated freight corridor | The government provides for plans for a third dedicated freight corridor connecting Dankuni in West Bengal to Surat in Gujarat, and the detailed project report is currently being prepared. |