PM Modi Inaugurates Key Rail Network As India Completes 2,843-Km Dedicated Freight Corridor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the final three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), completing India’s 2,843-km dedicated freight rail network connecting major industrial hubs, ports and northern India.

The three sections, New Sanand North-New Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale and New Saphale-New JNPT, span 326 route km and were built at a cost of over Rs 20,700 crore. Their inauguration makes the entire 1,506-km WDFC operational, completing the network along with the 1,337-km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).

The two corridors were approved in 2006 and developed to ease pressure on the saturated Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah railway routes. Land acquisition problems, contract delays and construction challenges pushed the project nearly two decades beyond its initial conception.

The WDFC runs from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) near Mumbai, passing through Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The final sections create an uninterrupted dedicated route to JNPT, allowing export-import containers to move directly between the port and industrial centres across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh.

The biggest distinction is its fully electrified double-stack capability. With overhead equipment reaching around 7.45 metres, special high-reach pantographs allow electric locomotives to haul two containers stacked vertically. Indian Railways describes it as the world’s only fully electrified dedicated freight route designed for regular double-stack container operations.

The corridor supports freight trains of up to 100 kmph, 25-tonne axle loads and heavier-load provision. WAG-12B electric locomotives manufactured at Madhepura, Bihar, are rated at 12,000 horsepower and can haul around 6,000 tonnes at speeds of up to 120 kmph.

The EDFC, meanwhile, carries coal, steel, foodgrain and other bulk freight from Ludhiana to Sonnagar. It became fully operational in October 2023.

The DFC network is also expected to free conventional railway capacity for passenger services, reduce logistics costs and boost freight revenue. Feeder links connect the WDFC with ports including Mundra, Kandla, Pipavav and Hazira.

The Centre has now announced a proposed 2,052-km Dankuni-Surat freight corridor, with its detailed project report under preparation. Other proposed corridors have not yet been sanctioned for construction.