NEW DELHI ( Metro Rail News): As of January 2023, 1724 kilometres of Dedicated Freight Corridors have been commissioned. The Ministry of Railways has constructed two such corridors, the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The EDFC runs from Ludhiana to Sonnagar covering a distance of 1337 kilometres, while the WDFC extends from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri, spanning 1506 kilometres. The physical progress made on the EDFC and WDFC is 861 and 863 kilometres, respectively.
The Dedicated Freight Corridors will stimulate industrial activities, promote new industrial hubs and townships, and create direct and indirect employment opportunities through the development of new freight terminals, multimodal logistic parks, and inland container depots. The National Industrial Corridor Corporation (NICDC) under the Ministry of Commerce is overseeing the implementation of several projects along the corridors to facilitate the development of Integrated Industrial Townships.
As per the official statement, as of March 2014, there was no physical growth on either of the corridors. However, as of January 2023, a significant 1724 km has been commissioned. In addition, the expenditure ( including land) was Rs. 10357 crores during FY 2013-14. As of December 2022, the expenditure on the corridors has risen to Rs. 97,957 crores, indicating the financial investment being made to develop the DFCs.
