On January 7, 2021, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the 306-Km long New Rewari in Haryana-New Madar in Rajasthan section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) & flagged off the World’s 1st Double Stack Long Haul 1.5 Km Container Train hauled by electric traction from Atela in Haryana – Kishangarh in Rajasthan.
New Rewari-New Madar Section of WDFC:
i.The section is situated in Haryana & Rajasthan and consists of 9 newly built Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) stations. The 9 Stations are
- 6 are crossing stations of New Dabla, New Bhagega, New Madhopur, New Pachar Malikpur, New Sakun & New Kishangarh
- 3 Junction stations are in Rewari, New Ateli & New Phulera.
ii.The section will benefit industries in Rewari, Manesar, Narnaul, Phulera & Kishangarh areas of Rajasthan & Haryana.
iii.It will also help in optimal usage of the container depot of CONCOR (Container Corporation of India) at Kathuwas, Rajasthan.
iv.It will also ensure interruption free connectivity with the western ports of Kandla, Pipavav, Mundhra, and Dahej in Gujarat.
v.The section will also ensure the successful connectivity between the WDFC & EDFC (Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor).
Double Stack Long Haul Container Train Operation:
i.The operation will have an increased axle load of 25 tonnes. Also the trial run for the wagon prototypes have also been completed.
ii.It has been designed by the Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO) wagon department for the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL).
iii.The design will maximise capacity utilisation & uniform distributed and point loading.
iv.In terms of container units, the wagons will carry 4 times more weight compared to the current capacity.
Benefits:
i.Will reduce Transportation cost
ii.Assure time-bound delivery at ports and rapid evacuation of cargo from the ports.
Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC):
The corridor will be used for exclusive operation of freight trains and will connect Multi-Modal Logistic Hubs, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor with North India.
i.The Western DFC will be 1, 504 Kms long, 40% of the WDFC falls in Rajasthan.
ii.WDFC will reduce the pressure of goods trains on Delhi-Ahmedabad rail track.
iii.It will accelerate the development of Jaipur, Ajmer, Sikar, Nagaur & Alwar districts of Rajasthan.
iv.It will further boost industries like textiles, stone, cement, handicrafts & handlooms and enable rural development in the region.
v.Japan International Cooperation Agency is funding WDFC
Dedicated Freight Corridors:
i.During the first phase, around 3, 360 kms of DFC (WDFC – 1, 504 kms & EDFC – 1, 856 kms) will be constructed. It would cover 133 railway stations in 9 states.
ii.DFC is one of the largest rail infrastructure projects undertaken by the Government of India at a cost of ~ INR 81, 459 crore.
iii.DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited) has been established to function as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to plan, develop, mobilize financial resources, maintain & operate DFCs.
iv.DFCCIL is set to run freight trains at a maximum speed of 100 Kmph compared to the current 75 Kmph.
v.The average speed of freight trains will be increased to 70 kmph from the existing 26 kmph on DFC.
vi.Around 70% of freight trains currently running on Indian Railway network will shift to freight corridors, which will open paths for more passenger trains.
Funding :
World Bank is funding majority of EDFC & Japan International Cooperation Agency is funding WDFC
Recent Related News:
i.On December 29, 2020, PM Modi virtually inaugurated the 351-Kms long New Bhaupur-New Khurja section in Uttar Pradesh for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).
ii.July 25, 2020, India successfully built one kilometer (km) long World’s first electrified rail tunnel that fits double stack containers that cuts through Aravali mountain on theWDFC near Sohna, Haryana.
About Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL):
Managing Director – Ravindra Kumar Jain
Headquarters – New Delhi
