The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is focusing on increasing the average speed of goods trains to maximise the utilisation of its corridors and enhance freight traffic volumes.

Currently, the average speed of freight trains stands at 35 to 40 kmph, limited by speed restrictions and detentions. Railway authorities are targeting an increase to 40-45 kmph to allow more trains to operate efficiently.

A single-line track under the Ambala unit, covering nearly 400 km, has a capacity to run 60 trains daily. However, it has been handling around 50 trains, with a significant portion of traffic diverted elsewhere by the Railways.

An official stated, “If the average speed increases and detentions reduce, more trains can be operated easily on the corridor. A tender for a feasibility study on doubling the track under the Ambala unit has also been awarded.”

Pankaj Gupta, Chief General Manager of DFCCIL Ambala, said, “The tracks are designed for a maximum speed of 100 kmph. Loaded goods trains run at about 75 kmph, but due to speed restrictions, detentions, and crossings, the average speed remains between 35 and 40 kmph. We are focusing on increasing this average.”

He added, “Increasing speed will facilitate faster transportation of goods, attract more traffic, and allow more trains to run. On the Sahnewal-Pilkhani section, the average speed is already over 40 kmph, whereas it is around 35 kmph on the Khurja-Pilkhani section due to restrictions.”

Efforts are also underway to boost freight volumes by encouraging government and private companies to utilise the freight corridor. New terminals are being developed to improve the handling and movement of containers and cargo. This will reduce logistics costs and enable faster delivery of goods.

The Ambala unit manages a 175.1-km section from Sahnewal in Punjab to Pilkhani in Uttar Pradesh on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. In April, the 220-km Khurja to Pilkhani section (under the Meerut unit) was also transferred to the Ambala unit for operations and maintenance.