Western Dedicated Freight Corridor: 85 Per Cent Complete, Gujarat Section Set For Current Financial Year Finish

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), a transformative project championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a game-changer for 21st-century India, is set to be operational by the end of the current fiscal year.

With this, one can anticipate swifter rail journeys when travelling to Delhi and Mumbai.

The WDFC is purposefully designed for the exclusive transportation of freight, with the primary goal of alleviating congestion on India's existing railway network by facilitating the movement of goods trains along this dedicated corridor.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has achieved a significant milestone, having completed 1,279 kilometres of the total 1,506-kilometre-long WDFC, connecting the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) in Mumbai to Dadri.

Hari Mohan Gupta, DFCCIL's director of infrastructure, highlighted this achievement, stating, "We have reached another major milestone with the successful trial run of goods trains on the newly constructed electrified railway section linking Gothangam to Makarpura."

Gupta explained that this 117-kilometre railway section, which spans Surat, Bharuch, and Vadodara districts in Gujarat and costs approximately Rs 3,644 crore, will soon witness regular movements of goods trains.

He added, "Of the total 565-kilometre stretch in Gujarat, only a 170-kilometre section remains pending, and we aim to complete it by the end of the current fiscal year by 31 March 2024."

The section connecting New Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Sanand (North) near Ahmedabad has already been commissioned, with around 90 trains running daily on this route.

This connectivity has facilitated efficient transportation between Gujarat's key ports, including Mundra, Kandla, Pipapav, Dahej, Hazira, and Delhi-NCR, reducing transit time from 35 hours to less than 12 hours. The decreased travel time has also led to a reduction in logistical costs.

Furthermore, work is progressing at a rapid pace to connect Sanand (N) to Makarpura, a 138-kilometre-long section, and it is expected to be completed within the current fiscal year.

On the Makarpura-Gothangam section, where the trial runs of goods trains have commenced, DFCCIL has connected Gothangam station to DFC Gothangam and DFC Gothangam to DFC Makarpura, which, in turn, links to Makarpura station.

Gupta noted that with regular goods train operations, the unloading of goods will commence at Gothangam, and commodities will be handed over to IR Makarpura. Beyond the freight benefits, this project also promises to enhance the speed of passenger trains to 160 kilometres per hour.

As goods trains shift to the DFC, there will be ample opportunity to upgrade the existing railway infrastructure to achieve this higher speed.

DFCCIL aims to complete the approximately 30-kilometre stretch from Gothangam to Bhesthan in the coming month and expects to connect Makarpura to Gholvad in Maharashtra within the current calendar year, reports Economic Times.

Gupta expressed confidence in completing the Gholvad-Saphale section in the current fiscal year, providing comprehensive connectivity between Sanand (N) and Saphale.

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)

The WDFC connects Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai. The WDFC, covering a 1,506-kilometre route, connects states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.

The western corridor covers a distance of 1,504 km through double line electric (2 x 25 KV) track from JNPT to Dadri via Vadodara-Ahmedabad-Palanpur-Phulera-Rewari. The Western DFC is proposed to join the Eastern DFC at Dadri.

Western DFC would mainly cover Rajasthan (565 km), Maharashtra (177 km), Gujarat (565 km) Haryana (177 km) and about 18 km in Uttar Pradesh.