The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCI) has completed a crucial 27-kilometre leg of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), connecting Sonnagar in Bihar to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. This achievement has paved the way for seamless connectivity along a 1,875-kilometre stretch, enabling enhanced efficiency, reduced transit time, and increased capacity for freight transportation.
Ravindra Kumar Jain, the Managing Director of DPCCIL, stated that this development allows for the shift of around 70–80 percent of the free movement of the Indian Railway network on this route to the DFC, thereby freeing up existing routes for faster and more punctual passenger trains.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor is a monumental rail infrastructure project in India, aiming to establish a high-speed and high-capacity freight transportation network between Ludhiana in Punjab and Son Nagar in Bihar. This corridor will connect major industrial and consumption centres, including Ludhiana, Khurja, Kanpur, and Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Rewari, Madar, Palanpur, Bangurgram, Swaroopganj, Sanand, and Sonnagar, among others.
In another milestone, DFCCIL completed an 80-kilometre stretch from Shambhu to Sahnewal (Ludhiana), further contributing to the progress of the project. With this achievement, a total of 2,196 kilometres, accounting for 77 percent of the Dedicated Freight Corridor has been commissioned. The completion of the entire DFC alignment, except for Jawaharlal Nehru Port connectivity, is expected within the next year.
The completion of this leg of the EDFC will have far-reaching implications, notably reducing container movement time from ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra to the Northern hinterlands in less than one day. This significant time-saving advantage is expected to enhance competitiveness and drive economic development across various sectors.
