Indian Railways achieves milestones in dedicated freight corridor projects

24 Jan 2024 CW Team

Considerable progress has been reported in the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC & WDFC) projects, and this article explores the current status and advancements made in these corridors.

The total length of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors spans an extensive 2,843 kilometres, excluding the Sonnagar-Dankuni section. The Eastern Corridor covers 1,337 kilometres, while the Western Corridor spans 1,506 kilometres.

The project's estimated cost is Rs 814.59 billion, with cumulative capital expenditure (CAPEX) reaching Rs 1,092.92 billion as of November 30, 2023. Financial progress, based on completed works, has reached an impressive 90%.

Funding details reveal that Ludhiana-DDU (1,200 km) in the Eastern Corridor secured World Bank funding of Rs 149 billion, while the DDU ? Sonnagar (137 km) section received Rs 46.19 billion from Indian Railways. The Sonnagar ? Andal (375 km) stretch is being executed by Indian Railways with an investment of Rs 123.34 billion. Notably, the Ludhiana to Sonnagar section of EDFC has been fully commissioned.

In the Western Corridor, the Dadri ? JNPT (1,506 km) Phase-I & II project secured funding of Rs 387.22 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

As of October 2023, a significant number of trains have been operational, contributing to the corridor?s overall progress. The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor has seen 4,686 trains covering 29,575 GTKM (Millions), while the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor has had 2,922 trains covering 18,259 GTKM. The cumulative total stands at 7,608 trains covering 47,834 GTKM, with an average speed of 44.6 kmph for EDFC and 55.5 kmph for WDFC.

Infrastructure development has shown substantial progress, with track linking amounting to 632 Track Kilometers (TKm) during the fiscal year 2022-23, bringing the cumulative progress to 4,758 TKm. Overhead Equipment (OHE) wiring covered 829 TKm during the same period, contributing to a cumulative progress of 3,941 TKm. Noteworthy achievements include the completion of 76% of major bridges, 84% of Road Under Bridges (RUBs), and 36% of Road Over Bridges (ROBs).

The Ministry reaffirms its commitment to reducing logistic costs to support the 'Make in India' initiative. It is anticipated that both the Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors will be commissioned by June 2022, reflecting a concerted effort towards the timely completion of these crucial infrastructure projects, paving the way for enhanced connectivity and economic growth.

The Ministry of Railways in India has made significant strides in fulfilling its budget promises for the fiscal year 2021-22, particularly in the execution of Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Projects aimed at bolstering the 'Make in India' initiative. Considerable progress has been reported in the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC & WDFC) projects, and this article explores the current status and advancements made in these corridors. The total length of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors spans an extensive 2,843 kilometres, excluding the Sonnagar-Dankuni section. The Eastern Corridor covers 1,337 kilometres, while the Western Corridor spans 1,506 kilometres. The project's estimated cost is Rs 814.59 billion, with cumulative capital expenditure (CAPEX) reaching Rs 1,092.92 billion as of November 30, 2023. Financial progress, based on completed works, has reached an impressive 90%. Funding details reveal that Ludhiana-DDU (1,200 km) in the Eastern Corridor secured World Bank funding of Rs 149 billion, while the DDU ? Sonnagar (137 km) section received Rs 46.19 billion from Indian Railways. The Sonnagar ? Andal (375 km) stretch is being executed by Indian Railways with an investment of Rs 123.34 billion. Notably, the Ludhiana to Sonnagar section of EDFC has been fully commissioned. In the Western Corridor, the Dadri ? JNPT (1,506 km) Phase-I & II project secured funding of Rs 387.22 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). As of October 2023, a significant number of trains have been operational, contributing to the corridor?s overall progress. The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor has seen 4,686 trains covering 29,575 GTKM (Millions), while the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor has had 2,922 trains covering 18,259 GTKM. The cumulative total stands at 7,608 trains covering 47,834 GTKM, with an average speed of 44.6 kmph for EDFC and 55.5 kmph for WDFC. Infrastructure development has shown substantial progress, with track linking amounting to 632 Track Kilometers (TKm) during the fiscal year 2022-23, bringing the cumulative progress to 4,758 TKm. Overhead Equipment (OHE) wiring covered 829 TKm during the same period, contributing to a cumulative progress of 3,941 TKm. Noteworthy achievements include the completion of 76% of major bridges, 84% of Road Under Bridges (RUBs), and 36% of Road Over Bridges (ROBs). The Ministry reaffirms its commitment to reducing logistic costs to support the 'Make in India' initiative. It is anticipated that both the Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors will be commissioned by June 2022, reflecting a concerted effort towards the timely completion of these crucial infrastructure projects, paving the way for enhanced connectivity and economic growth.