The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), a major infrastructure project of Indian Railways has remarkably transformed the country’s landscape. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while attending the 19th Foundation Day celebrations of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) praised the initiative as ” the jewel of Indian Railways.” Highlighting its importance, he pointed out that around 350 goods trains are currently operating on the corridor, resulting in enhanced logistics efficiency.
Boosting logistics
Vaishnaw stressed the corridor’s role in reducing the cargo transportation times to half in comparison to earlier methods. The transportation network has become more efficient as the speed of freight trains has increased and thus played a crucial role in lessening the logistics costs. The railway minister was addressing a video message during the celebration which was being held at Bharat Mandapam. He also underlined the significance of further integrating the DFC into the Indian Railways network to generate maximum profits from it.
Economic aspect of DFC
On the occasion, DFCCIL also showcased its nearly two-decade-long journey, underscoring its contribution to building up rail freight infrastructure. The firm goal is to reduce the logistics cost in India from 15% to below 9%, thus the trade opportunities in both domestic and international markets will boost. The organization is currently operating in seven states- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar and Rajasthan. The DFCCIL is also creating job opportunities and is positively impacting the growth of industries as well as the MSMEs along the routes.
With cutting-edge rail infrastructure and advanced Operation Control Centres in Prayagraj and Ahmedabad, DFCCIL has managed to achieve a 96% completion milestone for its projects in 2024. The DFC’s two major corridors, the Eastern and Western DFCs interlink Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to JNPT Port in Navi Mumbai and Ludhiana in Punjab to Sonnagar in Bihar. As per current status, the network manages around 13 per cent of Indian Railways’ freight load despite covering just 4 per cent of its rail network.
The DFC stands as an affirmation of India’s effort to modernize its rail freight systems, as its achievement marks a key leap in infrastructure and economic development.
(With inputs from PTI)