India has achieved a historic milestone by completing the construction of the 2,843 km Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) network. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the final 326 km section of the Western DFC, the entire network is now fully operational. An investment of over ₹20,700 crore was made for this final phase. The 1,506 km Western DFC stretches from Dadri to the JNPT port in Mumbai; it primarily facilitates container transport and port connectivity.
Similarly, the 1,337 km Eastern DFC runs from New Sahnewal in Punjab to New Sonnagar in Bihar. It is designed for the transportation of minerals and bulk commodities. Dedicated tracks for freight trains can make passenger train operations on regular lines more regular and faster. Freight trains on Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) travel at speeds exceeding 50 km/h. More than 400 trains operate daily on these corridors. Transport and logistics costs will decrease due to the transportation of double-stack containers on a single train.
