The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor or Western DFC is a 1,506 km long, under-construction freight corridor in India. It will connect

Dadri Dadri is a town and a municipal board in Gautam Buddha Nagar District in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Noida, Dadri and Jewar are the 3 sub-divisions of GB Nagar district, each headed by a SDM. History Dadri was founded by a Bha ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

(near

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

) with the

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as JNPT and Nhava Sheva Port, is the second largest container port in India after Mundra Port. Operated by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Authority (JNPTA), it is located on the eastern shores of Arabian Sea ...

Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai (; also known as New Bombay, its official name until 1995) is a large city next to Mumbai, located in the Konkan division of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is situated in Thane distr ...

Raigad District Raigad district (), previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The headquarters of the district is Alibag. Other major cities in the district are Panvel, Karjat, Navi Mumbai, Khopoli, Sh ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. The corridor is being built by the

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India The dedicated freight corridors in India are a network of Railway electrification, electric 5 ft 6 in gauge railway, broad gauge Rail freight transport, freight railway lines that solely serve freight trains, thus making the freight service in In ...

Limited (DFCCIL), a public-sector unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways and would be electrified with double-line operation. The Western DFC entails a new single-line branch from Prithla in

Palwal district Palwal district was created on 15 August 2008. It is the 21st district of Haryana state in Delhi NCR region of northern India. Palwal City is the headquarters of the district. It is part of the Braj region. The city is situated from Delhi, ...

to Tughlakabad in

, running parallel to the existing

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

–

Faridabad Faridabad () is the most populous List of cities in Haryana by population, city near NCT of Delhi in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of National Capital Region (India), Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite citie ...

–

Palwal Palwal is a city and a municipal council. It is the headquarters of Palwal district, the 21st district of Haryana state in northern India. It is a centre of the cotton trade in the area. It is part of Braj region. It is also a part of Na ...

railway line. The Western DFC is exclusively for transporting freight at higher speeds with increased load carrying capacity. The main freight commodities include fertilizers, food grains, salt, coal, iron, steel and cement. It uses Flash Butt Welded

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

- hardened (HH) 250 m long

rails Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters * Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fi ...

with axle load capacity of 25 t on tracks and 32.5 ton bridges, compared to the existing 22.9 t to 25 t axle load used on Indian Railway tracks. The line will support freight trains reaching length, pulled by high-power WAG12 electric locomotives and running at speeds greater than . The tracks will be entirely grade-separated and have a generous

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

of width and maximum height allowing for the double-stacked

shipping container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated box design, corrugated b ...

on flatcars to be transported, in contrast to wellcars used in other countries for double-stack rail transport. This allows for single trains to have a 400-container capacity. Trains will have radio communications and GSM-based tracking – a first in the Indian railway sector. The

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor or Eastern DFC is a broad gauge freight corridor in India. The railway line runs between Ludhiana in Punjab and Dankuni (near Kolkata) in West Bengal via Meerut and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. This railway lin ...

(Eastern DFC) has a 46 km long branch line, that connects

Khurja Khurja is a city (and a municipal board) in Bulandshahr district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated around 20 km from Bulandshahr and 85 km from Delhi. Khurja supplies a large portion of th ...

Bulandshahr district Bulandshahr district (also spelled Bulandshahar) is a district in the Meerut region in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), situated between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India, and Bulandsh ...

on Eastern DFC with

Gautam Buddha Nagar district Gautam Buddha Nagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh, named after Gautama Buddha. It is a part of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and is divided into 3 sub-divisions (Tehsils) of Noida, Dadri and Jewar. Greater Noida is the administ ...

on the Western DFC.

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

is proposed as the largest Logistic Hub on the EDFC due to its nodal connectivity via several expressways. The Western DFC, along with the

Delhi–Mumbai Expressway The Delhi–Vadodra–Mumbai Expressway is a 1,350 km long, 8-lane wide (expandable to 12-lane) under-construction (partially operational) access-controlled expressway connecting India's national capital New Delhi to its financial capital ...

, will be a vital backbone of the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The Western DFC will cross the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at 2 places in

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

: Sancholi village (Gurgaon district) and Paroli village (Palwal district).

About DFC

The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

established the

(DFCCIL) on 30 October 2006 to undertake construction of this project.Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, India
Railway-technology.com. India's first 2 DFCs, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor from

and the

(Eastern DFC) from

Ludhiana Ludhiana () is the most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab.164.100.161.224 http://164.100.161.224 › filesPDF Ludhiana State: Punjab Business & Industrial Centre, Tier 2 1 ... The city has an estima ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Dankuni Dankuni is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Positioned strategically near Kolkata, it has emerged as an import ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, via

(Logistic Hub) and

are aimed at decongesting the railway network by moving 70% of India's goods train to these two corridors.Railways' two big ticket projects DFC, bullet train on track despite lockdown: Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav
. Economic Times, 6 June 2020.

Route

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (Western DFC) will begin at

(near

) on a new stretch of railway line right of way between

Rewari Rewari is a city and a municipal council in Rewari district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the district headquarters of Rewari district. It is located in south-west Haryana around 82 km from DelhiNarnaul Narnaul is a city, a Municipal Council, and location of headquarters of the Mahendragarh district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located in the National Capital Region of India. History & etymology During the early vedic period o ...

Sri Madhopur Sri Madhopur is a city and a municipality in Sikar district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded on 18 April 1761 under the reign of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I. It is mainly famous for his temples. Sri Madhopur wheat market is the ...

and

Reengus Reengus is a town in Reengus tehsil of Sikar district. Demographics India census, Reengus had a population of 26,139. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Reengus has an average literacy rate Literacy is the ability ...

(Sikar). The other important stations will be

Phulera Phulera is a town in Jaipur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated near Jaipur city, the state capital. The DMIC (Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor) project runs through Phulera. It is a major railway junction. Geography P ...

and

Marwar Junction Marwar Junction is a census town and tehsil headquarter in Pali district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. This is an important railway junction on Ahemdabad - Delhi mainline in Pali district . Ajmer-Ahmedabad meter gauge opened in 1881 under Ra ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Palanpur Palanpur (Gujarati language, Gujarati: ) is a city and a headquarters of Banaskantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Palanpur is the ancestral home to an industry of Indian diamond merchants. Etymology Palanpur in early times is said ...

, Ambli Road Railway Station near ( Sabarmati), Makarpura (

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

), Gothangam/ Kosad in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

and

Vasai Road Vasai Road Junction (station code: BSR) is a railway station on the Western line (Mumbai Suburban Railway), Western line and Vasai Road–Roha line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Vasai is a historical suburban town north of Mumbai a ...

before it terminates at

JNPT Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as JNPT and Nhava Sheva Port, is the second largest container port in India after Mundra Port. Operated by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Authority (JNPTA), it is located on the eastern shores of Arabian Sea ...

(Nhava Sheva Port) in

Raigad district Raigad district (), previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The headquarters of the district is Alibag. Other major cities in the district are Panvel, Karjat, Navi Mumbai, Khopoli, Sh ...

. The

Status updates

* Apr 2005: The project is announced by the then

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

. * Oct 2006: The

(DFCCIL) is formed by the Ministry of Railways on 30 October. * Feb 2008: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves the Western DFC and the Eastern DFC. * Sep 2009: The Union Cabinet approved a loan made by the

Japan International Cooperation Agency The Japan International Cooperation Agency (), also known as JICA'','' is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social gr ...

(JICA). * Jun 2013: The civil construction contract for the Rewari-Palanpur section is awarded by DFCCIL. * Aug 2018: The inaugural run of a freight train is successfully conducted along the 190 km segment between the New Ateli and the New Phulera stations. * Dec 2019: DFCCIL successfully tested the 306 km stretch between Kishangarh Balawas (

Rewari district Rewari district is one of the 22 districts in the state of Haryana, India. It was carved out of Gurgaon district by the Government of Haryana on 1November 1989. It is also part of the National Capital Region. The administrative headquarter o ...

) and Madar (

Ajmer district Ajmer district is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Ajmer division–one of the seven List of districts of Rajasthan#Divisions, administrative divisions of Rajasthan. The city of Ajmer is the district headquarters. ...

). * Jul 2020: Testing for the 352.7 km Madar to

stretch was completed. * Jan 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 306 km route from New Rewari to New Madar and flagged off the world's first flat wagon double-stacked container train from New Ateli to New Kishangarh on 7 January. *Mar 2021: The 335 km long New Madar to New Palanpur section is inaugurated on 31 March. *July 2021: About 60% of the Western DFC has been completed. *Aug 2021 **14 Aug: DFCCIL commences Roll-on-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) service on the Western DFC. The rake consisting of flat wagons proceeded from New Rewari and arrived at New Palanpur, covering a distance of 630 km. **26 Aug: DFCCIL successfully completes a 2.75 km long and 25 m high viaduct near

Sohna Sohna is a town and a municipal council in the Gurugram district of Haryana, India. A popular tourist weekend and conference retreat, it is on the highway from Gurugram to Alwar near a vertical rock. Sohna is known for its hot springs and Sh ...

on the Dadri-Prithla-Rewari section. *May 2022: A trial run was started on the section from New Palanpur to New Mehsana on 13 May and was finished on 25 May. *Jun 2022: After the trial run, the New Palanpur-New Mehsana is inaugurated and made operational by DFCCIL, which increases the corridor's length to 720 km, from Dadri to Mehsana. *Apr 2024: 93% of the route operational, with the 138 km Sanand-Makarpura and 244 km Makarpura-Gholvad sections opened, and the 110 km Gholvad-JNPT section the last one under construction.

References

External links

Western DFC

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) Official link for project status
{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Dedicated Freight Corridor Transport in Delhi Transport in Navi Mumbai Dedicated freight corridors of India Rail transport in Rajasthan Rail transport in Gujarat 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India

About DFC

Route

Status updates

See also

References

External links