Railways Expands Dedicated Freight Corridor Network
The Ministry of Railways is advancing the construction of two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC): the Eastern DFC (1,337 km) from Ludhiana to Sonnagar and the Western DFC (1,506 km) from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri. Of the total 2,843 km, 96.4% (2,741 km) is operational, with work on the remaining sections underway.
The Ministry is preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for three new corridors: East-Coast Corridor (Kharagpur–Vijayawada), East-West Corridor (Palghar–Bhusawal–Nagpur–Kharagpur–Dankuni and Rajkharsawan–Kalipahari–Andal), and North-South Sub-Corridor (Vijayawada–Nagpur–Itarsi). The DPRs are under review, but none of these corridors have been sanctioned yet.
Given the high capital investment required, the approval of new DFCs depends on factors such as technical feasibility, financial viability, traffic demand, and funding availability. Once completed, the DFCs will boost logistics efficiency, enabling double-stack container trains, higher axle loads, and faster access to northern hinterlands via western ports. The Eastern DFC will primarily support mineral transportation from Eastern India, contributing to lower logistics costs and improved freight movement.
