India, September 2026 — India has completed its 2,843-kilometre Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) network following the commissioning of the final sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The dedicated freight routes are intended to increase cargo capacity while reducing congestion on railway lines shared with passenger services.
The WDFC now spans 1,506 kilometres between Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, near Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai. The final three sections cover 326 kilometres between Gujarat and Maharashtra and were developed at a cost of more than Rs 20,700 crore. The corridor primarily handles container traffic from major western ports, alongside fertilisers, foodgrain, coal, steel, cement and other commodities.
The 1,337-kilometre Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), running between Ludhiana in Punjab and Sonnagar in Bihar, is focused largely on coal and mineral traffic from eastern India. Together, the two corridors currently handle around 426 freight trains each day, while average freight train speeds on the dedicated routes exceed 50 kmph, approximately twice the average on the conventional network.
The DFCs were developed in response to capacity constraints on major existing routes, including the Howrah–Delhi and Mumbai–Delhi corridors, where utilisation had reached between 115 and 150 percent. By providing separate infrastructure for freight, the corridors allow passenger and cargo operations to be managed more independently while reducing transit times and improving reliability for logistics operators.
The expansion also supports India’s wider objective of increasing rail’s share of national freight movement from around 27 percent to 45 percent by 2030. Indian Railways recorded its highest-ever freight loading of 1,670 million tonnes in 2025–26, while the government is now preparing a detailed project report for a proposed third DFC linking Dankuni in West Bengal with Surat in Gujarat.
The development marks a significant shift towards purpose-built freight infrastructure within India’s rail network. Further expansion could strengthen connections between production centres, inland logistics hubs and ports while improving the competitiveness of rail against road-based freight transport.
Source: The Indian Express
India Completes 2,843-Kilometre Dedicated Freight Corridor Network
Journalism & Media
Share this story
India is expanding rail freight capacity through dedicated corridors designed to separate cargo operations from passenger services and improve logistics efficiency. The completion of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor brings the combined Eastern and Western network to 2,843 kilometres, supporting faster freight movement and easing pressure on existing railway routes.
