Dedicated Freight Corridor: Western & Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors

PIB | Prelims + Mains | GS3 > Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

• Context: PM dedicated to the nation the 306 Km New Rewari-New Madar Section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC).
• It is situated in Haryana & Rajasthan.
• The opening of this stretch will benefit various industries in the surrounding areas of Rajasthan & Haryana.

What is a Dedicated Freight Corridor?

• It is a high speed & high-capacity railway corridor that is exclusively meant for the transportation of freight (goods & commodities).
• On the normal lanes, goods trains must make way for passenger trains, thereby delaying freight movement.
• The surging power needs requiring heavy coal movement, booming infrastructure construction, & growing international trade has led to the conception of the Dedicated Freight Corridors.
• DFC involves the seamless integration of better infrastructure & state of the art technology.
• It will allow for efficient & fast movement of freight (very important for the horticulture sector).

Dedicated Freight Corridor Project

• Under Ministry of Railways.
• The project involves the construction of six freight corridors traversing the entire country.
• The purpose of the project is to provide a safe & efficient freight transportation system.
• Initially, the construction of two freight corridors,

1. Western DFC connecting the states of Haryana & Maharashtra &
2. Eastern DFC connecting the states Punjab & West Bengal, is being undertaken.

• The other four corridors include

1. North-South (Delhi-Tamil Nadu),
2. East-West (West Bengal-Maharashtra),
3. East-South (West Bengal-Andhra Pradesh) &
4. South-South (Tamil Nadu-Goa).

• These four corridors are still in the planning stage.
• In 2006, the Government of India established a dedicated body to implement the project, called the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL).

Significance

• The diversion of freight to DFCs on trunk routes will free up the existing network for the kind of capacity expansion needed for passenger movement.
• It will also integrate the Industrial Corridors.

In short

• Logistics costs will be reduced.
• Reduction in the unit cost of transportation,
• Smaller organization & management cost,
• Higher efficiency & lower energy consumption.
• Faster movement of goods.
• It is environmentally friendly.
• Helps in generating more employment.

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)

• Dadri, U.P to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai-1,468 km
• The WDFC covers Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra & Uttar Pradesh.
• It is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)

• Ludhiana Punjab to Dankuni West Bengal-1,760 km
• The EDFC route covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal
• The EDFC route has coal mines, thermal power plants & industrial cities.
• Feeder routes are also being made for these.
• EDFC is being funded by the World Bank.
• Connecting Link for Eastern & Western Arm is under construction between Dadri & Khurja.