The dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) are playing a vital role in transforming the rail logistics landscape of the country. These corridors are expected to enable Indian Railways (IR) to regain its market share in freight transport (from the current 27 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030) by creating additional capacity and providing efficient, reliable and cheaper mobility options to customers. At a recent conference organised by India Infrastructure, Shobhit Bhatnagar, Director (Operations and Business Development), Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), spoke about the current status of DFCs, technological advancements, and infrastructure created over the years. Edited excerpts…
DFCCIL was set up in 2006 to construct two corridors – the eastern dedicated freight corridor (EDFC) and the western dedicated freight corridor (WDFC). The EDFC goes from Dankuni in West Bengal to Ludhiana in Punjab, and the WDFC connects Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) near Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Progress so far
So far, a 1,337 km stretch of the EDFC from Ludhiana to Sonnagar has been completed. The 375 km stretch from Sonnagar to Andal, expected to be funded on public-private partnership basis, is now being constructed by Eastern Railway and the East Central Railway. Funding for the 163 km stretch from Andal to Dankuni has not been planned yet.
Of the total 1,506 km stretch of the WDFC, a 104 km section (New Saphale to New JNPT) remains under construction. This is the last stretch of the WDFC and includes three stations (New Kharbao, New Nilje and New JNPT). It is expected to be commissioned by December 2025.
Altogether, 96.4 per cent of the DFC network has been completed so far, with 657 km commissioned in 2020-21, 620 km in 2021-22, 812 km in 2022-23 and 652 km in 2023-24.
Infrastructure creation
The DFC network is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken by the Government of India. It passes through seven states and 56 districts, and more than 11,000 hectares of land has been acquired for it. The expanse of infrastructure created under the DFC includes: 4,643 minor bridges, 557 road under-bridges, 543 major bridges, 304 road over bridges, 114 greenfield stations and 53 rail-over-rail flyovers. Furthermore, two operational control centres (one at Ahmedabad for the WDFC and the other at Prayagraj for the EDFC) have been established.
Enhanced freight services and productivity
The commissioning of the DFC network has led to the enhancement of freight services through higher speeds, with wagons capable of higher axle loads of 25T/axle, as opposed to 22.5T/axle for IR. These are designed for future upgradation and will be able to carry 32T/axle, going forward. Further, the DFCs can now accommodate over-dimensional consignments, as the over head equipment (OHE) being provided has a clearance height of 5.1 metres on the EDFC and 7.1 metres on the WDFC, in contrast to 4.9 metres for IR. Consequently, this makes the WDFC suitable for operating double-stack container trains.
Implementation of new technology
Some of the key technological solutions deployed include the dedicated freight information system (DFIS), a block management system (BMS) and a machine vision inspection system (MVIS). The DFIS integrates with the train management system (TMS) (underlying data loggers) at stations and the timings of the trains are picked up automatically. The BMS, on the other hand, is a first-of-its-kind technology used to manage the integrated blocks and their approval and application processes, all of which are handled online. The MVIS is an artificial intelligence and machine learning-based system, developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, capable of taking photographs of every passing wagon with a maximum speed of 100 km per hour as well as conducting image analysis and defect detection.
Future plans
Going forward, the plan is to integrate DFCs with multimodal logistics parks (MMLPs) at New Kanpur, New Rewari Triangle Area and New Prithla station. The bids for these are expected to be called after the finalisation of the MMLP policy by the Railway Board.
Further, as per the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal policy, 20 GCTs are planned for 2024-25 (eight under the EDFC and 12 under the WDFC). Furthermore, detailed project reports for three new DFCs – an East Coast DFC of about 1,078 km, an East-West DFC of about 2,300 km and a North-South DFC of about 931 km – have been submitted to the Railway Board.
