Parliament Question: Dedicated Freight Corridors for cargo transfer

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3925 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDORS FOR CARGO TRANSFER 3925 SHRI SANJAY SETH: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the highly impressive operational success and freight volume handled by the fully completed sections of the eastern and western Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs); (b) whether the shifting of freight traffic to these dedicated corridors has successfully decongested the passenger network, massively improving train punctuality; (c) the details of the significant reduction in national logistics costs achieved due to the high-speed movement of double-stack container trains; (d) the successful integration of advanced, automated track inspection and predictive maintenance technologies on these corridors; and (e) the proactive steps taken to rapidly develop Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) alongside the DFCs to facilitate seamless cargo transfer? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e): Ministry of Railways has taken construction of two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) viz. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) from Ludhiana to Sonnagar (1337 Km) and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri (1506 Km). The work on EDFC has been completed and commissioned. In WDFC, 1404 RKm out of total 1506 RKm has been completed and commissioned. The balance work on WDFC from Vaitarna-JNPT section (102 Rkm) has been taken up. On an average more than 400 trains are operated per day on DFCs. The fully commissioned sections of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors (EDFC & WDFC) have demonstrated robust operational performance. Freight volumes have steadily increased, with higher average speeds, faster turnarounds, and enhanced reliability. The corridors are witnessing consistent growth in container, coal, and bulk cargo movement, contributing significantly to capacity augmentation in freight transportation. Page 1 of 2 §DFC has contributed to creating additional paths on the conventional network by diverting freight traffic to EDFC and WDFC. As a result, Railways have been able to run additional goods and coaching services over its network with better punctuality. The DFCs have enabled faster transit times, higher throughput, and double-stack container operations (especially on the Western DFC). These improvements have contributed to lowering overall logistics costs, improving supply chain efficiency, and enhancing competitiveness of Indian industries. The following technological measures have been taken on these corridors for maintenance of the assets:- i. In EDFC, Remote Diagnostic and Predictive Maintenance System (RDPMS) and in WDFC (Rewari-Makarpura Section), Intelligent Remote Monitoring System (IRMS) are being implemented for monitoring and predictive/preventive maintenance of the signalling system. This system has the capability to monitor and predict the health of the signalling gear using machine learning. ii. In EDFC and WDFC, the Train Management System is also being implemented to provide the remote indication of signalling equipment status, train describer functions, health monitoring of the signalling system, event logging, and compilation of statistics with the use AI & ML. iii. Machine Vision-Based Inspection System (MVIS) is already in commissioning phase over EDFC. MVIS detects defects like Hanging part (Side view), Elastometric (EM) pad, Missing/Broken Spring, Missing End Cap Screw, Wagon door of goods train which shows its reliability. The system is detecting such defects on running trains and are attended which helps prevention of any untoward due to defects in running trains. iv. Adoption of a mechanized system for track laying activities through use of Track Monitoring Systems (TMS) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) for comprehensive health assessment to ascertain optimal maintenance requirements. To increase the freight handling capacity in IR, ‘Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)’ policy has been launched in 2021 with the objective of increasing investment from industry in development of additional terminals for handling rail cargo. GCTs are also equipped with facility of mechanized loading/unloading which will, contribute in reduction of transit time and costs for business. So far, 128 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (including 5 on DFCCIL corridors) have been commissioned which has enabled additional freight traffic for Railways. Further, In-principle approval (IPAs) for 307 proposals (including 15 on DFCCIL corridors) for Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals have already been issued. ***** Page 2 of 2 §