DFC Game Changer In Freight Transport

To decongest already saturated road network and promote shifting of freight transport to more efficient rail transport, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL), a special purpose vehicle has been set up by the Ministry of Railways, to undertake planning and development, mobilisation of financial resources and construction, maintenance and operation of Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC).

With a vast experience in civil engineering and construction in rail transportation, and many awards and accolades to his credit, Adesh Sharma heads the Dedicated Freight Corridor project. In conversation with Rashmi Pradhan, the MD of DFCCIL talks about feasibility and status of the project

How will introduction of DFC boost Indian Railways?

 

A mega infrastructure project, DFC will be a game changer in the freight transport sector of the country. The plan to construct dedicated freight corridors across the country marks a strategic inflexion point in the history of Indian Railways that has essentially run mixed traffic across its network. Once completed, the dedicated freight corridors will enable Indian Railways to improve its customer orientation and meet market needs more effectively. Creation of rail infrastructure on such a scale — unprecedented in independent India — is also expected to drive the establishment of industrial corridors and logistic parks along its alignment.

The golden quadrilateral and its diagonals constitute 16 percent of route length of Indian railway network but carry 60 percent of the total freight traffic. The Eastern & Western Dedicated Freight Corridors constitute 22 percent of total Indian railway traffic and these routes are fully saturated. Line capacity utilisation has reached more than 125 percent and due to serious capacity constraint, average speed of goods train has dropped to 25 kmph.